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THE 



White Mountain 



GUIDE BOOK. 



5^v^^ i 



1^ 

9 



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Airtw^, 



THIRTEENTH EDITION, 



1 

CONCORD: 
EDSON C. EASTMAN. 

BOSTON: LEE & SHEPARD. 

i8;6. 




Copyright, 
Samuel C. Eastman, 

1876. 

.Fi7 



CAMBRIDGE: 
PRESSVVORK BY JOHN WILSON AND SON. 



PREFACE. 



The book is designed to assist those persons who, hav- 
ing but a short time to spend in the mountains, desire to 
use it to the best advantage. There are many summits 
which might be ascended, and many excursions which 
may be made by sojourners for the summer, which are 
not here described. It is believed, however, that it con- 
tains an account of what is reasonably essential to a 
pleasant tour in the White Mountains. 

Much of the first edition, published in 1858, was writ- 
ten by the late Rev. Thomas Starr King, who wrote 
the description of the Eastern side of the mountains ; by 
Rev. Augustus Woodbury, of Providence; and Rev. 
Daniel Goodwin, of Dedham, Mass. It has all been 
carefully revised for the present edition. A map, showing 
the routes, has been prepared expressly for the book. A 
map of the mountain region, which will be found to be 
in every way reliable, also accompanies the volume. It 
was prepared by Mr. Charles H. V. Cavis, the engineer 
of the Mount Washington Carriage Road, expressly for 

this Guide Book. 

S. C. EASTMAN. 

CONCOKD, N.H., July, 1876. 



PRELIMINARY VIEW. 



The White Mountain region of New Hampshire 
has practically three approaches. One of them is 
through Gorham, on the eastern side, and is reached 
both from the north and south by the Grand Trunk 
Kailway. The way to the second is Conway, which 
leads the visitor directly into the heart of the White 
Mountain Notch, or to the Glen House ; and is made 
accessible by rail from Boston, via Portland, over 
the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad, or over the 
Eastern and Great Falls and Conway, or by the aid 
of the railroads centring at Concord, by the way of 
Lake Winnipiseogee. The third is from the north- 
western side, over the Boston, Concord, and Mon- 
treal Railroad, which now delivers its passengers at 
the very base of Mount Washington, connecting with 
the railroad up the mountain. By the latter route 
also, the Franconia range is rendered accessible by 
the stage connections at Littleton and Bethlehem, 
on the north, and by the beautiful and justly re- 
nowned Pemigewasset Valley line from the south, 
leaving the cars at Plymouth. 

Into one or the other of these routes, all the 



VI WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

various lines from the cities of N'ew York, Boston, 
and from Canada, finally leave the tourist. 

From New York to Boston there are several avail- 
able routes. The Sound lines of steamers, and the 
night trains by rail, all land their passengers in Bos- 
ton in season to connect with the morning trains to 
the mountains. The morning express from New 
York connects with the night trains from Boston, 
over the Boston, Concord, and Montreal Raih'oad. 
The Sound lines are the Fall River, with the maxi- 
mum of boat, and minimum of rail ; the Stonington 
and the New London, each avoiding the sea passage 
of Point Judith. 

From Boston, these are the following routes through 
the three principal avenues to the mountains : — 

1. Via GoRHAM. Boston to Portland, by the 
Boston and Maine Railroad, through Lawrence, 
Dover, or over the Eastern Railroad, through New- 
buryport and Portsmouth, and thence over the Grand 
Trunk Railway. The morning trains reach Port- 
land at noon, and Gorham late in the afternoon, in 
season to reach the Glen House for tea, if desired. 
There is also a steamer which leaves Boston in the 
evening, reaching Portland the next morning. 

2. Via Conway. Conway may be reached by rail, 
via the Boston and Maine and Portland and Oo-dens- 
burgh Railroads, by the way of Portland ; more di- 
rectly by the Eastern and Great Falls and Conway 
Railroad, via Portsmouth ; via Lake Winnipiseogee, 
over the Central New Hampshire line of roads 
through Concord, taking the boat at Weirs ; or over 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. VU 

the Boston and Maine, taking the boat at Allan Bay. 
By the lake line, there is a stage ride from Centre 
Harbor to Ossipee. 

3. To Franc ONiA and Mt. Washington, over 
the Boston, Concord, and Montreal Railroad. Trains 
leave the depot of the Lowell Road at eight o'clock, 
A.M., and proceed, without change of cars, via Con- 
cord, to Plymouth, where a stage may be taken up 
the Pemigewasset Valley to the Franconia Notch, or 
to Littleton, where there is also a stage connection 
for the Profile House, or to the White Mountain 
Notch. The trains from the Boston and Maine Rail- 
road make the same connection. 

The direct connections between New York and 
the Third Avenue to the mountains, not passing 
through Boston, are by the Stonington and New 
London lines of boats. Trains leave Stonington and 
New London at a later hour than the early trains for 
Boston, with parlor-cars, connecting at Nashua with 
the morning express train from Boston. 

By all these lines, the mountains may be reached 
in less than twenty-four hours from New York. Re- 
turning, the morning trains from the mountains con- 
nect at Boston, or by the diverging lines at Nashua, 
with the boats and night trains for New York. 

The Connecticut Valley route from New York 
approaches the mountains from the w^est. Leaving 
New York by rail, at Springfield, Mass., a change is 
made to the cars of the Connecticut River Road, 
passing through Northampton and Holyoke, and in 
sight of Mt. Tom on the west side, and Mt. Plolyoke 



Vlll WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

on the east side of the rivef, through Greenfield, to 
South Yernon, Vt. From this place the Vermont 
Valley Railroad passes through Brattleborough to 
Bellows Falls. Thence the route proceeds by the 
Sullivan Railroad to Windsor, Vt. ; thence by the 
Central Vermont to White River Junction ; thence 
by the Passumjisic Railroad to Wells River; and 
thence, as before, by rail to Littleton or the White 
Mountain Notch, and by stage from Littleton to the 
Profile House. This route, after leaving Hartford, 
continues up the Valley of the Connecticut till it 
reaches Wells River, and afiTords a view of the beau- 
tiful scenery which makes this valley a " garden of 
delight." By the train that leaves New York at ten 
o'clock in the morning, the night must be passed at 
Bellows Falls, which is reached at 6 p.m. ; or at 
White River Junction, which is reached at 8.10 p.m. 
In the former case the route is continued the next 
morning at 11.35, reaching the mountains in the 
evening. If the night is passed at White River 
Junction, the route is continued in the morning at 
8.20, arriving at the mountains before dinner. Leav- 
ing New York at 3 p.m.. White River Junction is 
reached at 1.30 the next mornino;, where the nieht 
must be passed, and the route continued the next 
morning as before. Leaving by the 9 p.m. train, tlie 
night is passed at Springfield, which is reached at 
1.10 a.m. ; and the route continued the next morning 
at 8 o'clock, reaching the mountains in the evening. 

There is also a route to Franconia and Mt. Wash- 
ington from New York by the way of Albany, Rutland, 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. IX 

and Bellows Falls, Vt. Passengers leave New York 
by Hudson River Railroad, or by boat, reaching Troy 
in season for the cars over the Rutland and Wash- 
ington, or Western Vermont Railroad, to Rutland, 
where they remain over night. Leaving by early train 
the next morning, they reach Bellows Falls in time 
to connect with the trains north to Windsor, White 
River, and Littleton ; thus uniting at Bellows Falls 
with the route just named. The time is also the 
same. This is, without doubt, the most beautiful 
and satisfactory of all the routes proposed. Besides 
the magnificently varied scenery of the Hudson, one 
enjoys to the highest degree the ride through the 
mountain State of Vermont. Her hills are covered 
with verdure to the very summits, and the little 
hamlets that nestle in the valleys are the abodes of 
comfort and happiness and virtue. There is, too, 

" A newer life in every gale," 

as the fresh mountain air, with its invigorating influ- 
ence, brings the roses to the cheeks, and vivifies the 
frame. 

Besides the routes already mentioned as connect- 
ing with the steamers over the Sound, there is the 
one from New London, over the New London North- 
ern Railroad. Trains leave New London at 5 a.m., 
connecting at Brattleborough with the routes already 
described, and reaching the mountains in the even- 
ing. 

From Niagara and the Canadas the routes are 
substantially the same. Montreal or Quebec may 



X WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

be readied by boat down the St. Lawrence, or by 
rail ; and the Grand Trunk Railway will carry you 
thence to Gorham or the east. If Franconia Notch 
or the White Mountains is the point aimed, the 
Grand Trunk must be left at Northumberland, where 
the Boston, Concord, and Montreal connects. So 
also, at Lennoxville, a connection is made with the 
Passumpsic River Railroad. At Sherbrooke there is 
a stage connection with Outlet Village, on Lake 
Memphremagog. Montreal may also be left by the 
Vermont Central route, via St. Albans and Mont- 
pelier ; or by the South Eastern Counties Railway, 
via Newport and Wells River. Finally, the Grand 
Trunk may be left still earlier at Ogdensburg ; and 
the traveller may proceed directly to Rouse's Point, 
and thence via St. Alban's and Montpelier. 

Clothing. 

We cannot too strongly recommend the necessity, 
to the tourist, of sufficient and water-proof clothing. 
The weather is so uncertain among the mountains, 
that it is well to be prepared to defy the elements. 
The coolness of the atmosphere, especially in the 
evenings or on the summits of the mountains, ren- 
ders extra clothing necessary to the enjoyment of 
the situation. Sudden showers are by no means un- 
common ; and water-proofs and overcoats will often 
render one independent of the surroundings, and 
enable him to enjoy the scenery, whatever aspect 
the face of the sky may wear. 



white mountain guide. xi 

Hotels. 

The charge at the large mountain-houses is 14.50 
per day. From this price there is generally a dis- 
count to persons who make a long stay. At the 
smaller hotels the price for transient is generally 
$3.00 a day, with reductions for a long time. At 
the boarding-houses, of which a list, with prices, is 
given hereafter, the price of board is from $7.00 a 
week upwards, dej)ending on the rooms. 



GUIDE. 



The Mountain Region. 



FTER having 
given this pre- 
liminary view 
of the differ- 
ent approaches 
to the White 
Mountains, we 
propose to pre- 
sent a particu- 
lar view of the 
Mountain region. After 
ti^i /^ this is completed, we 
* -> will crive a more detailed 



account of the differ- 
ent routes before men- 
tioned. We shall thus be 
enabled to give a greater symmetry to the whole book 
than could be obtained by first giving the routes to^ 
and then through^ the region to be visited. As the 
various roads approach the Mountains at different 

(IS) 




14 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

points, we shall also avoid much needless repetition. 
The size of the book will thus be diminished, while 
its convenience for consultation will be greatly in- 
creased. 

We will commence, then, at Gorhara, N. H., on 
the eastern side of the Mountains. 

GoRHAM is a thriving village, which has been built 
up on the banks of the Androscoggin by the business 
which the railroad and the hotel have brought. 
The Alpixe House was destroyed by fire in 1872. 
The Railroad Company has commenced the erection 
of a new house, to be completed for this (1876) sea- 
son's travel. It will be fully up to the standard of 
the day in convenience of arrangement and comfort. 
It will be kept by W. F. and C. P. MilUken, the pro- 
prietors of the Glen". 

Gorham is ninety miles from Portland, eight from 
the Glen House, sixteen from the summit of Mt. 
Washington ; altitude, 800 feet. 

The Alpine House is situated in a valley at the 
junction of the Androscoggin and Peabody Rivers. 
The valley is 800 feet above the sea. The breadth 
of it is so great, that the air is more dry, pure, and 
bracing than in the more narrow passes directly 
under the lofty summits, where many of the larger 
public-houses are placed. On this account, it has 
often been found more grateful and propitious to 
invalids who are advised to try the mountain 
atmosphere. Mails are received every day from 
Montreal, and twice a day by railroad from Bos- 
ton and Portland. There is also a telegraph sta- 



WHITE JirOUJVTjlIJ\r GUIDE. 15 

tion connecting with Portland, and a line over Mt. 
Washington, via the Glen House. 

The scenery immediately around the Alpine House, 
in the Gorham village, when the proper points are 
sought for enjoying it, is very interesting. It is the 
only point from which the beauty of the range of Mo- 
riah, Carter, and the Imp, can he seen to advantage. 
Mt. Carter is about 5,000 feet in height. The base 
from which it rises being much lower than the level 
of the Franconia Notch, the summit of Carter is really 
higher, as seen from Gorham, than Mt. Lafayette, 
the highest of the Franconia range, is from the lovely 
Echo Lake, near the Profile House. And there are 
few more charming spectacles among the mountains 
than the heavy shadows that are tangled in the deep- 
cut stairways of Mt. Carter, contrasted with the soft 
lights that lie on its steep, unbroken forests in a clear 
summer afternoon. Mt. Moriali, some 200 feet lower 
than jMt. Carter, is remarkable for the rolling, billowy 
lines that flow from its dome along its huge mass to 
the valley. It is, perhaps, the most graceful in its 
outline of any of the larger New Hampshire hills. 
The true position from which to detect its beauty and 
appreciate its height is at the bend of the Andros- 
coggin, near " Lary's," about a mile above the Alpine 
House. If the visitor will take this walk just before 
a clear sunset, he w^ill see the whole ridge bathed in 
the richest purple — a sight that is one of the most 
agreeable rewards of a mountain journey. Only the 
jMountains on the westerly side of the Peabody Hiver 



16 



WHITE MOUJ\rT^IJ\r GUIDE. 




< 

o 
o 



MX % 3 



are visible from the hotel, owing to the hill imme- 
diately in front of the house. The trees, however, 
have been cut a"svaj on a portion of it, so that the 
summit of Mt. Madison now peers down into the val- 



WHITE MOUJVTjJIJV GUIDE. i7 

ley through the gap. This is the only one of the group 
standing guard about Mt. AYashington visible from this 
point, though most fascinating views of the range may 
be obtained by a short walk. 

The lower mountain that stands between Moriah 
and Carter is called the Imp. 

The noble chain of hills to the north-west of the 
Alpine House is known as the Pilot range. The lines 
they cut against a clear and burning evening sky are 
very charming. To the east and south-east, Gorham 
is walled in by the stalwart and brawny Androscoggin 
hills. The noblest of these is Mt. Hayes, directly 
behind the Alpine House. Its name was given in 
honor of Mrs. Hayes, who was once associated as 
landlady in the management of the hotel, and who 
is gratefully remembered by all guests who became 
acquainted with her. The mountain stands now the 
noblest external monument to her memory. 

The first thing which travellers usually wish to 
know, Avhen they arrive in Gorham, is the distance to 
jMt. ^Yashingtou, and the time and method of making 
the ascent. The base of Mt. "Washington is at the 
distance of eiiiht miles from the railroad station at 
Gorham. Stages are in waiting, at every train, to 
convey passengers to the Glen House, which is situ- 
ated at this point. The ascent of the mountain, since 
the completion of the carriage road to the summit, 
is most commonly made in light, covered wagons. 
Those who prefer horseback riding can still make the 
ascent in that way over a most excellent road. Which- 

2 



18 WHITE J\I0UJVTj1IJV GUIDE. 

ever way may be preferred, parties can start from 
either hotel. If travellers are iu a hurry to reach 
the Glen House, and prefer to start from that point, 
they ride in stages eight miles to that hotel, and take 
horses or carriages there. The landlord of the Al- 
pine House also keeps a stable of excellent mountain 
horses and carriages in connection with his hotel. If 
travellers desire, therefore, tliey can have a wagon 
from Gorham, be driven to the base of the mountain, 
and with the same wagon and horses, make the as- 
cent, and stay at the Glen House when they descend, 
or ride back at once to the Alpine House. The road 
is precisely the same, and the expense of ascending 
the mountain the same, in whichever way the excur- 
sion is made. It is well to know, however, that con- 
veyance is furnished from Gorham as well as from 
the Glen ; for it sometimes happens that travellers 
arrive in Gorham by the eleven o'clock forenoon train 
from Portland, who would like to make the ascent of 
Mt. Washington that day, and return to Portland 
or go on to Montreal the next morning. This is 
almost always practicable, and has often been done 
from Gorham. By taking a wagon from the Alpine 
House, the base of Mt. Washington is reached more 
quickly than by stage ; the ascent is made in the after- 
noon, and the conveyance is in waiting to return the 
passenger, as soon as he descends, to the Alpine House 
again. 

But if travellers are not in a great hurry, they 
should certainly make their plans to see the striking 



WHITE MOUJ^TAIJ\r GUIDE. 19 

scenery that is offered near the Alpine Plouse. No 
point in the whole mountain region presents more at- 
tractions within reach of a short and delightful wagon 
drive, a pleasant horseback ride up a bridle path, or a 
tolerably easy mountain-scramble. The first of these 
excursions to which we will call attention is that to 

The Lead Mine Bridge. 

The name is derived from an abandoned lead mine 
about six miles below Gorham, on the eastern bank of 
the Androscos'^rin, in Shelburne. The bridi2re is about 
four miles from the Alpine House, and can be easily 
reached in three quarters of an hour. The proper time 
to visit it is in the latter part of a summer afternoon, 
when the golden light is on the meadows, and the long 
shadows are falling athwart the mountains. There is 
no spot in the whole mountain region where the beauty 
of the river is joined so charmingly to the majesty of 
the hills. No river view can be more fascinating than 
that of the noble Androscoggin breaking around eme- 
rald islands with clean sandy shores, SAveeping around 
the base of a lofty cliff, and joining its parted currents 
again into one strong tide just above the bridge where 
one stands. And then, a few miles distant, enthroned 
over the narrow valley, as though the stream flowed 
directly from their bases, rises the heavy dome of Mt. 
Washington, in company with the clear-cut, exquisite 
pyramid of Madison, w^ith the crest of Adams rising 
directly behind it. 

The height of the noblest mountains is never appre- 



20 WHITE MoujvTJirj\r guide. 

ciated bj going close to their base, if they are fore- 
shortened by ridges intervening between the eye and 
the supreme summits. Tiie Lead Mine Bridge is just 
far enougli away from tlie White Hills to allow their 
height to make its true impression. And whoever sees 
Mt. Madison thus, in a clear afternoon, will recall the 
impression it makes, as perhaps the loveliest picture 
which the White Mountain journey leaves in the 
memory. Three hours from the Alpine House will 
give ample time for the excursion. Teams and drivers 
are always in readiness for tlie accommodation of 
guests. By taking the day, or even the whole after- 
noon, for the excursion, one cannot do better than to 
prolong the ride to Shelburne and Gilead along the 
Androscoggin. Some fine views of the mountains may 
be thus obtained. 

Next among the privileges of Gorliam we must speak 
of a drive from the Alpine House to 

Randolph PIill. 

This hill is on the road to the villages of Randolph 
and Jefferson, and is about five miles from the hotel. 
There is no climbing to be done ; the wagon is driven 
directly to the summit, which is about six hundred feet 
higher than the hotel, and the road is excellent. By 
this drive one is taken directly to the northerly base of 
Madison and Adams. He sees the whole northerly 
wall of the Mt. Washington range from crest to valley. 
The height is far greater than the wall of the Craw- 
ford Notch. There is no point where, standing so near, 



WHITE MOU.YTj}IJ\r OUIDE. 21 

any of the "SAHiite Mountains look so lofty and so grand. 
Certainly no valley view can be gained of Mt. Wash- 
ington that compares Avith the grandenr of Adams from 
this position. The sense of height, the tremendous 
mass, the grand natural masonry, the rich forest ver- 
dure, the silence, the twin outlines of the two moun- 
tains, and the symmetry of the gray and blasted peaks 
that rise and face each other above the vast wilderness 
that clothes their sides, combine to make an impression 
on the eye and soul that years will not efface. Here, 
too, is peculiarly felt tliat harmony and symmetry of all 
mountain outlines, when massed together, those of the 
smaller hills being reproduced by the higher summits, 
all pointing to one common centre of towering preemi- 
nence. A traveller should not fail to take this view, 
if possible ; and no discomfort is connected with the 
excursion. An hour is sufficient for the drive to Ran- 
dolph Hill from the Alpine House, and three quarters 
of an hour for the return. 

We must call attention, next, to 

Berlin Falls. 

Those who love water-views and cataract-scenery 
will say that these Falls are the richest of all the 
attractions that invest Gorham. They are situated six 
miles from the Alpine House. But the road that leads 
to them is excellent ; the drive is taken in an hour ; 
and the scenery on the way, along the west bank of 
the Androscoggin, is continually noble, wild, and stim- 
ulating. The mountains seem to overhang the stream, 



22 



WHITE MOUMT^IJ\r GUIDE. 



and add greatly to the interest of the drive. It is no 
rivulet or mountain cascade one visits at Berlin. The 
whole Androscoggin, fed from a branch of Lake Umba- 
gog, and never low even in a drought, like the Upper 
Connecticut, pours here down a rocky gateway. It is 
a long, swift rapid, broken here and there by a direct 
and powerful fall. In the course of a mile the river 
descends nearly two hundred feet. The road winds 
directly by the river, and there is no hard clambering 
or wet walking in the excursion. 

The first view as one alights from the wagon reveals 
the river for a quarter of a mile flecked with little white 
caps at the uppermost rapids, then plunging in a wind- 
ing rush of foam, then calmed again, and flowing with 
its ruflfled caps towards Gorham. After taking this 
general look, which is very fascinating, we must select 










WHiTR Morrjsrr^rjv aumK. 23 

points for observing the heavier pitches of the river, 
and estimating the force of the cataract. We must go 
down upon a jutting rock that faces the sweeping flood, 
and see the last leap of the mad tide over a huo-e 
boulder, before it settles into common rapids again ; we 
must go up, and stand on the bridge that crosses the 
narrowest gully, and watch the foam sweep underneath 
like a race-horse — the backwater from each side over- 
laying the central current, so that it rushes in wedge 
shape, through the gorge ; especially must we go last 
above the bridge, and sit down upon the rocks, to watch, 
at leisure, the first and deepest plunge of the river. Al- 
though the bridge is very near, one has no conception, 
in looking from it, of the grandeur of this portion of 
the fall. One can sit by It for an hour with Increasing 
delight. Visitors have said that It repaid for the cost 
and time of a visit to the mountains, and that all the 
other scenery w^as extra. The power of this part of 
the fall Is so satisfactory, the quantity of water so 
great, and the flood of foam that sweeps a^vay from it 
so full of life, that we have never been able to recall, 
wlille sitting there, aught that surpasses it, in the 
suggestion of power, but the English fall at Niagara. 
We quote the declaration of a prominent poet of New 
England, given with emphasis on the spot once, in our 
hearing, when we say that it is better worth visiting 
than the Falls of St. Anthony. 

There is a hotel at Berlin called the Mount Forist 
House, so that visitors can now have the cool parts 
of the day, and especially a full-moonlight even- 



24 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

ing, for wandering around the banks, and enjoying the 
rapids and plunges of the river. 

The trip to Berlin Falls is a pleasant forenoon or 
afternoon drive. On the way, tlie Alpine Cascades may 
also be visited. These are about three and a half miles 
from Gorham. There is a bridge for foot-passengers 
across the Androscoggin, and a walk of a quarter of a 
mile will bring one to the Falls. In high water, these 
are well worth the small fee that is demanded by the 
owner of the path. 

One needs to visit Berlin Falls several times, and 
study the grand forms and summits of the outer White 
Mountains, which tower, with a symmetry that does not 
disturb their solid and serious majesty, a little to the 
west. The mountain panorama, visible from the road 
just above the falls, is one of the most inspiring to be 
found in the New Hampshire tour. 

It would be among the richest joys of a September 
visit to Gorham to give the heart of one of its clear 
bracing days to an excursion along tlie Androscoggin, 
dinino^ on the rocks above the bridfje : and, returnins 
towards sunset, to face for the most of the way the 
great White Mountain range, stained with a glorious 
brown light, and the range of Moriah and Carter lift- 
ing purple peaks and ridges against the blue southern 
sky. Here, too, the drive may be prolonged, with great 
advantage, some four miles to Milan. At this distance 
from the base, the effects of the foreshorteninoj are re- 
moved ; and Mt. Washington, which, at the falls, was 
concealed by Madison and Adams, is now visible above 
them, mimifestiug its supremacy. 



WHITE MOUJ^TAIJ^ GUIDE. 25 

But besides the attractions to be readied by wagon 
rides, there are excursions to be made from the Alpine 
House, on horseback or on foot, that must be spoken of. 

The Ascent of Mount Mori ah 
is tlie first to be named. There was formerly an excel- 
lent bridle-path to the summit, and a large log-cabin for 
protection against a sudden shower. For the past few 
years, however, the carriage road np Mt. Washing- 
ton has attracted the greater part of the travel, so that 
the path has not been reopened. The mountain is 
4,700 feet in height. It can still be reached on foot, 
and the bridle-path can easily be reopened. The 
ascent will furnish a very charming excursion for those 
who care to under<2:o the fati2:ue. Now and then, 
through the trees, a glimpse is gained of a grand col- 
iseum of pines on the steep and crescent sides of a 
near mountain, from which a ravine separates you. 
Now and then you come upon some bare ledge or 
shoulder, from which you look down the valley of the 
Androscoggin for miles, and admire the forethought of 
Nature in leaving this easy track, among these billowy 
ridges of land, for the Grand Trunk Railway. Soon 
you plunge into the woods again, and are borne up and 
up by the panting horse till the shrubs begin to grow 
scanty, and suddenly you are on the desolate and jagged 
peak. What a view ! The whole region seems thrown 
into wildest confusion. The eye must travel far to 
the south-west to rest upon any extent of level land. 
Northern New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine arc a 



26 WHITE J,10UJ^TAIJ\r OUIDE. 

vast panorama of solid surges. Ou the west tlie dis- 
tant view is barred by the heavy forms of the great 
White Mountain range proper. 

In this respect a visit to Mt. Moriah is more inter- 
esting than to Mt. Washington ; for here Mt. Wash- 
ington is part of the landscape. Its height and mass, 
and the grandeur of its fellow-peaks, can be relatively 
measured, as they cannot when one stands on their 
ridges. > 

But it may be that the traveller does not care to 
make an ascent of a mountain so high as this, in addi- 
tion to the ascent of Mt. Washington, or instead of that 
ascent. We will call attention, therefore, to 

Mount Surprise, 

and the charm of the prospect that is opened from it. 
This mountain is directly in front of the Alpine Plouse. 
It is, in fact, one of the spurs of Mt. Moriah, and is 
about 1,200 feet in height. The bridle-path to the top 
is not dithcult at all in the ascent. Good walkers can 
gain the crest, which is about two miles and a half 
from the hotel, without trouble in an hour and a half, 
and can return in half that time. It is an easy and 
charming horseback excursion for ladies. And the view 
which the summit offers is diiferent in character from 
any that we recall in the mountain region. It suggests 
the marvellous picture of the Notch seen from Mt. 
Willard. The height of Mt. Surprise is about the 
same as that of Mt. Willard ; and it commands the 
great cleft between Mt. Carter and the White Moun- 



WHITE MOUJ\rTjlIJ\r GUIDE. 27 

tains, through which the Peabodj River flows, as Mt. 
Willard commands the Notch and the infant Saco. 

The top of Mt. Surprise is worth visiting, apart from 
the view it furnishes, for the revelation it offers of the 
savage ruin which fire and winds can work on the hills. 
Scores of great tree-trunks, stripped, charred, and half 
consumed, are heaped and twisted over an acre or two 
of the crest and side of the hill, in impressive confu- 
sion. The whole scene is the hieroglyphic autobio- 
graphy, it may be, of the destructive partnership of 
July lightning and January gale. The chief payment 
for the ascent, however, is not this broad " charcoal 
sketch" of ravage, but the sight, gained amid that 
dingy desolation, of the grandest portions of the White 
Mountain rid":e. The hisjhest summits of the ran^e 
rise directly against the eye. There is no intervening 
ridge or obstacle. You look down 1,200 feet to the 
bed of the Peabody, which is fed from the great range, 
and up along the unbroken forests to the peak of Mt. 
Madison, the crest of Adams that overtops it, and, at 
the south-west of these, the summit of Jefferson, and 
the mass of Mt. Washington. There is no other emi- 
nence where one can get so near to these monarchs, 
and receive such an impression of their sublimity, the 
vigor of their outlines, their awful solitude, and the 
extent of the wilderness which they bear upon their 
slopes. The scene is so wild and glorious, and the cost 
of labor to gain it so slight, that it is a pity any visi- 
tants of the eastern side of the mountains should fail to 
add it to their treasures of memory. And besides this 



28 WHITE MOUJ^T^JJV GUIDE. 

view of the great range, the outlook from Mt. Surprise 
over the mountains of the North, and up the valley 
through which the Androscoggin twists its way, is very 
grand. On horseback from the Alpine House, the 
whole jaunt can be made in two hours and a half, with 
ample time for the Summit. 
We have already spoken of 

Mount Hayes, 
which rises just behind the Alpine Plouse, beyond the 
Androscoggin. There is now a bridle-path to the top 
of this eminence, and it should be celebrated as afford- 
ing the grandest landscape view of Madison, Adams, 
and Washington, to be obtained in New Hampshire. 
It is also an easy pedestrian excursion, and no one who 
visits Gorham, and \\!iO has a love of mountain scram- 
bles, should fail to make the ascent of Mt. Hayes. 
About two hours from the base will be sufficient to 
gain the top. The picture from the summit can- 
not be sufficiently praised. The view of Adams 
and Madison, sweeping from the uplands of Ran- 
dolph, will never be forgotten. And Mt. Washington 
shows no such height, or grandeur, when seen from 
any other point. Mt. Washington does not show its 
superior height, or look grander in form, than the asso- 
ciated peaks, from any position in the valleys near Gor- 
ham and the Glen. But from Mt. Hayes its superemi- 
nence and majesty are caught and appreciated. That 
Summit seems to be the chair set by Providence at the 
right distance and angle to observe and enjoy its ma- 



WHITE jMOUJ\rTJiIJ\r OUIDE. 29 

jesty, Its symmetry, and the proud grace with which 
its ••' airy citadel " is sustained against the sky. And 
by way of dessert to this substantial feast of mountain 
grandeur, a most charming view of the curves of the 
Androscoggin for twenty miles, of its exquisite islands, 
and of the meadows which it threads, is given from 
Mt. Hayes. 

There is another pedestrian excursion possible from 
Gorham, of which we should not fail to speak. Wc 
mean the 

Ascent of Mount Madison, 
from the foot of Randolph Hill, and a visit to the 
northerly ridge and summits of the White Mountain 
group. To those who love mountain climbing, and the 
wildest scenery which the hills'! can exhibit, no more 
tempting expedition than this can be proposed. Several 
parties made this excursion in 1857, sometimes camp- 
ing out in a ravine, or on tlie ridge. Their reports of 
the grandeur and magnificence of the views that re- 
warded their toil are very inspiring. A company of 
strong pedestrians, starting from the Alpine House, 
Gorham, early in the morning, and riding to the base 
of Mt. Madison, at the foot of Randolph Hill, could 
ascend Mt. Madison, pass over its summit, around or 
over the sharp pyramid of Adams, over Jefferson, be- 
tween the humps of Mt. Clay, and reach the house on 
the top of Mt. AVashington, before sunset. 

Such a route would lie among and over the largest 
-nountains of the ranoe. Between Madison and Adams 



30 WHITE MOUJ\''TAIJ^ GUIDE. 

the party would see the noblest outlines of rocky preci- 
pice and crest which the whole range can furnish, for 
they would stand directly between the steep pinnacles 
of those noble hills, that spring from tlie ridge. They 
could climb to the sharp apex of Adams. Tliey would 
see the glorious picture of AYashington, that starts out 
in crossing from Adams to Jefferson. The long east- 
erly slope is shown from its base in the Pinkham for- 
ests ; the cone towers sheer out of " The Gulf of Mex- 
ico ; " and every rod of the carriage-road is visible 
from the Ledge to the Summit House. 

And the route brings into view all the great ravines 
of the range, except " Tuckerman's." One will see the 
long and narrow gully between Madison and Adams, 
and tlie tremendous hollow of Adams itself on the 
north, which was climbed for the first time, in 1857, by 
a party formed by the now universally lamented Starr 
King, and which is called by the guides " King's 
Ravine." He will see the precipitous gulf between 
Adams and Jefferson on the south-east ; the deep-cut 
gorge in Jefferson on the north-west, whose bones of gray 
cliif, breaking bare tlirough the steep verdure, will be 
remembered as the most picturesque of all the scenes 
wliich the day gives. He Avill wind around the chasm 
between Jefferson and Clay, divided from the savage 
" Gulf of Mexico " by a spur of Jefferson that runs 
out toward the Glen House. And he will gaze off with 
delight upon the long rolling braces that prop Mt. 
Pleasant, and Franklin, and the tawny Monroe — the 
boundaries of the ravines that one sees, in riding to 



WHITE MOUJ^TAIJ^ GUIDE. 31 

Mt. Washington from the Notch, over the Crawford 
bridle-path. 

A path through the forest of Mt. Madison to the 
summit, from the foot of Randolph Plill, has been 
"blazed" by Mr. Gordon, of Gorham. Mr. Gordon, 
now deceased, was a most admirable guide, and his 
memory will long be cherished by those whom he has 
served. Mr. Calhaine, who owns a farm in the Pea- 
body valley, near where the view of the Imp is to be 
had, will be found a worthy wearer of Mr. Gordon's 
mantle. Travellers can easily learn at the Alpine 
House how to engage him for any service. Amono- 
other excursions that may be made is the ascent of 
Mt. Washington over Adams, clambering up the 
ravine. 

Routes to the Notch. 

Since the completion of the carriage road on the east 
and the Railroad on the west side of the Mountains, 
nearly all the travel passes over Mt. Washington, and 
comparatively few persons go by the old stage routes. 
These, however, have not lost their charm, and should 
be mentioned here, so that if the traveller has made the 
ascent of Mt. Washington, and does not care to pass 
over the summit, but prefers the pleasures of the moun- 
tain views from below, he may not be deprived of the 
trip by ignorance. 

There are two roads from Gorham to the Notch. 
One passes through the Glen, the Pinkham Notch, Jack- 
son, and then up the valley of the Saco, in Bartlett, 



82 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

throuirh the Notch to the Crawford House. The dis- 
tance from Gorham is forty-three miles. The stages 
start from the Glen House, and leave about eight o'clock 
in the morning. To go by this route, one must leave 
Gorham the night before. We shall speak of this route 
more at length hereafter. 

The Cherry Mountain Road 

is the other route to the Notch. The distance is thirty- 
two miles. There is no regular stage, but teams can be 
hired at the Alpine House, if desired. The distance to 
the Twin Mountain House is thirty miles. 

This has always been a favorite route, for the scenery 
along ahnost the whole line of the road is grander than 
by any other stage route among the mountains. It 
takes in the glorious spectacle from Randolph Hill, of 
w^hich we have spoken. It commands every slope and 
summit of the Mt. Washington range from the north ; 
and for some twelve miles of the way they are all in 
view at once, with no intervening hills to break the im- 
pression of their majesty. Such a view can be gained 
on no other road ; and the forms of the mountains on 
the northerly slope are grander than on the southerly 
side. From the village of Jefferson, through which 
this Cherry Mountain road runs, not only is every one 
of the Great White Mountain group visible, but also 
the Franconia Mountains, the side of the Willey Moun- 
tain in the Notch, the line of the nearer Green Moun- 
tains beyond the Connecticut, — in fact, a panorama of 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 33 

hills, to the north-west and north, almost as fine as the 
prospect in that direction from the summit of Mt. 
Washington. To see this picture would richly repay a 
drive from Gorham and return, if the traveller did not 
desire to pass on to the north. The noblest part of 
the view can be had, without leaving the wagon, from a 
hill in Jefferson, about seventeen miles from the Alpine 
House. At this point, and commanding a noble view 
of the whole White and Franconia range, is situated a 
well-conducted hotel, called the Waumbeck House, 
kept by J. R. Crocker. The charges here are very 
reasonable. It is a favorite place of resort for those 
who are desirous of obtaining pure mountain air> 
Starr King Mountain, in the rear of the house, is easily 
ascended. From the piazza of the hotel, Avith a glass, 
people on the summit of Mt. Washington can be dis- 
tinctly seen. The distance from the hotel to the White 
Mountain Notch is seventeen miles ; to the Profile 
House, by the way of Wliitefield and Bethlehem, twenty- 
eight miles ; to the Glen House by the road around 
the base of Madison, twenty miles ; to Littleton, twenty 
miles. One should be sure to en^raare the carriajre to 
go by the way of Jefferson^ so as to obtain the fine view 
from the Waumbeck House. 

Should one prefer to go to Franconia from the Alpine 
House, instead of riding over the Cherry Mountain 
road to the Notch, an arrangement can easily be 
made for conveyance. The road is the same with 
that just described, till it reaches a point a short dis- 
tance beyond Jefferson, where it diverges into the valley 



34 WHITE MOUJ^TAIJ^ GUIDE, 

of the Israel River. Then, passing through the pleas- 
ant, cleanly, and thrifty town of AYhitefield, it climbs 
the hills that rise to the plateau of Bethlehem. Leav- 
ing the Alpine House in the morning, the traveller can 
take his dinner and his noontide rest at the Waumbeck 
House, noticed above, in Jefferson, and then spend the 
hours of the Ioug: summer afternoon in the charrainsf 
ride. Passin<x throu^-h Bethlehem an hour or two be- 
fore dark, he can reach the Profile House early in the 
evening, where the weary but thoroughly delighted guest 
can find a hospitable welcome and abundant cheer. 

The return ride from Franconia and the Notch to 
Gorham, by Cherry Mountain, is, in some respects, su- 
perior to the ride the other way. From Jefferson to 
Gorham, it is certainly more grand than when facing in 
the other direction. 

For several miles we front the four highest moun- 
tains of the ridge, and seem to be riding into them, 
with no chance of a detour. How massive they ap- 
pear as we draw nearer and nearer ! The summits 
seem to be of about equal height, and instead of pre- 
senting thin and gullied sides, all their lines run out- 
ward towards us, and are firmly braced in the valley, 
as though they were immense forts, once upheaved and 
buttressed Avith granite ridges, to defend an army of a 
lar^rer mould than our race asrainst a siejje. The 
Notch itself is hardly more majestic than this quadruple 
fortification, wdiich glooms and darkens more and more 
upon the eye as we ride nearer to it, and which springs 
out of a wild forest as yet almost unvisited by man. 



WHITE MOUJVTAIJSr GUIDE. 35 

For several miles the vision lasts. Then "^""ashington 
drops away from the company, and we are left -with 
Jefierson, Adams, and Madison. Next, Jefferson Avith- 
draws, and we ride by the base of the remaining two. 
Soon their grand lines untwist, and their rocks seem, 
as it Avere, to be dishevelled, till we gain the summit of 
Randolph Hill, overlooking Gorham, and find that, 
by inexplicable magic, they have been transformed into 
superb symmetry again, and hide from the delighted 
eye every trace of those glorious compeers that had 
joined with them in threatening the valley of Randolph, 
a few miles behind. 

This route can also be taken from the Glen House 
by a road passing across the Peabody River, along the 
base of Madison, and joining the road from Gorham just 
beyond Randolph Hill. An excellent excursion for one 
Avho desired to approach the Crawford House from the 
south, through the Notch, would be to spend a day in a 
trip from Gorham to the Waumbeck House, back as 
far as the road here alluded to, and thence to the Glen. 
The best view of the north side of the mountains would 
thus be obtained, and yet the advantage of the approach 
to the Crav/ford House up through the Notch not be 
lost. 

The Mt. Adams House is on this road, about twelve 
miles from Gorham. It is a small hotel, accommodat- 
ing about fifty guests, at about the rates charged by the 
boarding-houses in the vicinity. It can also be reached 
from Lancaster, being only thirteen miles distant. Starr 
King says of the view from this spot, " The forms of 



36 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

the mountains are nobler on this side than on the side 
towards the old Fabyan Place, near the Notch. The 
largest members of the- chain are the most prominent 
here. The ridge is not so lank, and its braces run out 
with more vigor ; the ravines are more powerfully fur- 
rowed ; and Mt. Washington is far better related to the 
chain." 

And now let us turn to 

The Glen. 

This charming spot is situated eight miles, as we 
have said, from Gorham. The drive, taken as it usu- 
ally is in the morning or evening, is one of great at- 
traction. The ascent is gradual, Avith no long hills, 
and the road winds, for the greater part of the "way, 
along the easterly bank of the Peabody River, which, 
always wntliin hearing, is frequently wdthin sight. Soon 
after leaving Gorham the burly form of Madison bursts 
upon the view, apparently barring all further progress, 
"while the Moriah range towers up on the left. The 
changing mountain forms furnish a continual study. 
Washington and Adams come into view before reach- 
ing the Glen, and the carriage road is visible from the 
point w^here it emerges from the w^oods almost to the 
very summit. About tw o miles and a half from the 
Glen is a bridge over the Peabody River, which one 
must cross if he wishes to see 

The Imp. 
This name has been given to a peak of the Moriah 



WHITE MOUJVTjSIJ\r GUIDE. 37 

Mountain, from the marked resemblance which the sum- 
mit, seen from a point near a farm house, about half a 
mile from the road, on the opposite side of the river, 
bears to a grotesque human countenance. The after- 
noon is the best time for the view. If your party 
command the team, you can make the view a pleasant 
accompaniment to the ride from Gorham to the Glen ; 
or the visit can be made directly from the Glen House. 

The Glen House 
has been recently enlarged, so that it is now one of 
the largest and grandest hotels of the White Moun- 
tain region. In fact, a new hotel, equal in size to the 
one that formerly occupied the spot, has been built and 
attached to the old house. The office and receiving 
hall occupy a spacious apartment between the old 
and the new. The parlor is a magnificent room, 100 
by 50 feet, elegantly furnished. The dining room is a 
fine hall, in which all the 600 guests, which the hotel 
will now easily accommodate, may dine at once with- 
out trouble or inconvenience. From the balcony of the 
hotel may be had an uninterrupted view of the highest 
summits in New England, while the parties ascending 
and descendinof the ruo^j^ed ledij^es of Mt. Washington 
may be v/atched by the aid of a glass. The whole 
front of the house, facing the mountains and the rush- 
ing Peabody River, contains rooms that are unusually 
attractive, while those on the other side are also fa- 
vored with remarkable and pleasing mountain views. 
This Hotel is now owned by W. F. & C. R. Milliken, 



88 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

and, like the other hotels which are located on the 
high elevations, has for many years been celebrated as 
affording a complete exemption from the autumnal 
catarrh, or hay-fever. Mr. Charles Eastman keeps a 
store in the hotel, a favorite resort for old habitues, 
at which are for sale books, periodicals, photographs, 
and such other articles as are likely to be needed by 
the tourist. The hotel is open till Oct. 1. The price 
for transient guests is $4.50 per day, with a reduction 
by the week, or in June and September. 

The Western Union Telegraph Company has lines 
over Mt. Washington, and connecting with Centre Har- 
bor, Conway, Crawford House, and Profile House, with 
a station in the hotel. All the principal places in the 
mountains are now connected by telegraph, and are in 
direct communication with the large cities. 

The Glen House stands on a plateau, 830 feet above 
the Gorham valley, and 1,632 feet above tide water at 
Portland, in the midst of a magnificent mountain bowl. 
Behind it bend the thin high ridges of Mt. Carter and 
its spurs, 3,000 feet in height, and green with unbroken 
forests to their crests. On the south-west, one sees 
the steep, bony braces of Mt. Washington, running off, 
one behind the other, into the Pinkham forests, and 
towards Jackson. Directly in front are the outworks 
and huge shoulder of Mt. Washington itself, and be- 
hind this heavy shoulder, on a retreating ridge, the 
pinnacle where the Summit House stands. Associated 
directly with Mt. Washington, and bending around to 
the north-west and north, are Mt. Clay, rising over the 



WHITE MOUJ^TAIJ\r GUIDE. 39 

huge " Gulf of Mexico ; " the stout, square-shouldered 
Jefferson ; and the symmetrical, sharp, and splendid 
pyramid of Adams, with its peak so pointed that it 
looks unscalable. Tiiis mountain is by far the grand- 
est of all in shape and impressiveness. And next to 
this, ■with lines running eastward, is Mt. Madison, 
which completes the staff of Washington. Thus four 
of the highest summits of the White Hills are, as we 
have said, in full view, directly in front of the hotel in 
the Glen. The height of Mt. Washington is 6,285 
feet; Mt. Clay, 5,400; Mt. Jefferson, 5,700; Mt. 
Adams, 5,800 ; Mt. Madison, 5,361. 

No public house among the mountains is situated 
so near the Mt. Washington range as this. There are 
vieAvs of the mountains to be had at a little greater 
distance that will give more pleasure to the artistic 
sense ; but no view of the chief White Mountain ran^^e 
can be had from a hotel that is comparable with this 
which the piazza of the Glen House offers. 

The best time to approach it is in the clear afternoon 
of a summer day, when the shadows fall soft and rich 
in the gorges and over the rugged slopes of the chain. 
Then the mountains look higher, and their grandeur is 
tempered with a mystic beauty. There is perpetual 
charm, too, in watching the play of the vapors around 
the cliffs and in the ravines on a misty and showery day 
in August. Now they will wrap a long mountain wall 
in a cold, gray mantle, to the base. Now they will 
break along a ridge, and reveal the harsh sides of a 
chasm, or the ramparts of a ridge, hanging seemingly 



40 WHITE MOUJ\rT^lJr GUIDE. 

iu the clouds. Soon tliej will tliin away belov.' for a 
mile, and show the green foreground softened by a 
moist veil, Next they will knot themselves into tliick 
rolls, and then stretch themselves slowly into thin and 
sleazy textures. Once in a while they will lift them- 
selves nearly to the summit of a ridge, and try to 
plunge doAvn again, — really tiring the eye that watches 

them 

Sink by compulsion and laborious flight ; — 

and sometimes they will break entirely around one of 
the mountains, Adams perhaps, and show it piercing 
the gray sky, apparently doubled in height by being 
seen isolated from its brother hills. 

In May and early June the view from the Glen 
House is very charming. For then huge patches of 
snow lie on the upper slopes of the range. But in Oc- 
tober the spectacle is generally more fascinating than 
at any other season of the year. Especially when the 
traveller can see, as we once saw there, the summits 
stained with snow, rising over forests dyed in orange, 
brown, and crimson, — and delicate curtains of mists 
drooping from the sky, and swaying gently along the 
line of the crests, — will he be charmed with the scene. 

Stage Routes. 

Stages leave the Glen House to connect with all tl>e 
trains on the Grand Trunk Railway, at Gorham, and 
also morning and afternoon for North Conway, to con- 
nect with the trains on the Portland and Ogdeasburgh, 
and the Great Falls and Conway Railroads. Persons 
desiring to go to the Notch connect at Glen Station 
with the railroad. 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 41 

The larger number of person-s desiring to go to the 
Notch now go over Mt. Washington, descending by the 
Raih'oad. Baggage wagons accompany the passenger 
wagons. 

The chief object of interest now at the Glen House, 
as well as the grand highway of the mountain travel, is 

The Ascent of Mount Washington. 

Notwithstanding the completion of the Railroad, the 
ascent of Mt. Washington by the can^iage road is still 
popular. The distance from the base of the mountain, 
in front of the Glen House, to the summit, is eight miles. 
The carriage road, a triumph of engineering skill, is now 
completed to the very summit, and furnishes the best road 
in the whole mountain region. It was commenced in 
1855, by a chartered corporation, under the management 
of D. O. Macomber, and was finished as far as the Ledge, 
or four miles from the base, in 185G. In 18G1 the 
road was finished to the summit and opened for travel. 
The averao^e "-rade is twelve feet in one hundred, and 
the steepest grade in any part, which, strange to say, is 
about two miles and a half from the base, is sixteen 
feet in one hundred for a short distance. It is a thor- 
oughly built road in every particular. The bridle-path 
formerly went up the mountain side in almost a straight 
line, while the road winds around the ledge and up the 
mountain side, making nearly double the distance. 
But in no part is there any difficulty or danger in the 
ascent. No more discomfort is experienced than m 
the same amount of carriage riding upon any of the 



42 WHITE MOUJVTjIIJV GUIDE. 

mountain roads. The road was surveyed and laid out 
by Mr. Charles H. V. Cavis, Civil Engineer, who was 
the active Superintendent of the Carriage Road Com- 
pany till 1857, when the work was suspended on ac- 
count of financial embarrassments. 

The tariff of tolls on the carriage road is as follows : 
For every person on foot, $0.32 

" " on horseback, .80 

" " in carriages, .80 

" sulky w^ith one horse, .64. 

" carriage with 4 wheels for 2 persons, .64 
" " wdth 2 horses and 4 wheels, .96 

" " w^ith 4 horses, 1.28 

Carriages leave the Glen House for the Summit 
morning and afternoon, connecting with the trains on 
the railway. The fare up and back is $5 ; fare down 
is $3. Tliis includes the tolls on the carriage-road. 

For the first four miles of the way the road winds 
among the trees of the forest, Avhich cover the sides of 
all the mountains, permitting only occasional glimpses 
of the mountain Avorld aroimd. At w^hat is called 
" The Ledge," the road emerges from the forest, and 
the glories of the ascent here begin. From this point 
the road winds along the very verge of the deep ravine 
between Washington, and Clay, and Jefferson, the 
upper end of which is called the Great Gulf. Leaving 
this, it passes to the easterly side of tlie mountain, 
overlooking the valley of the Pcabody and Ellis Rivers, 



WHITE MOUJfTAIJSr GUIDE. 43 

and furnishing a most charming view of the far-famed 
8aco valley, Avith a distant sight of the Great Gulf. 
One here feels a decided sensation of being in the 
upper air. The wind sweeps almost unobstructed 
across the mountain, and beloAv or above one may see 
carriages creeping along the path. The charm of the 
bridle-path from the AYhite Mountain Notch to Mt. 
Washington lies in the passage over the tops of four 
lower summits of the ridge, each one a little higher 
than the last, and in the view thus given of ravines 
that sweep off each way from the horse path to the 
base of the range. From the Glen the ascent is made 
directly up Mt. Washington itself all the way. Down 
the great ravine already spoken of a most surprising 
view is offered of Jefferson, Adams, and Madison. 
They sweep up from the enormous gulfs at the right 
hand of the path, and are visible from base to crown. 
There is no view, perhaps, so exciting as this, on 
the path we have just spoken of from the Crawford 
Notch. Many will think that this spectacle, which 
grows grander and grander as they rise, is more inspir- 
ing than the . prospect from the peak above. One 
learns, in looking at those great forms, the decided dif- 
ference there is in genus between a mountain and a 
hill. The eye is fascinated by the colors of these rug- 
ged monarchs — the varied verdure of their lower for- 
ests, their tawny shoulders, the purple and gray of their 
bare ledges, the dim green of their peaks. One will 
notice, also, the charming lines which the torrents have 
torn upon their surfaces ; for when we look across a 



44 WHITE MOUJVTAIJ^ GUIDE. 

gulf, or from a little distance below, upon a steep 
mountain, we find that it is the wrath of the freshets 
that gives them their finest lines of expression and 
character. And if the day is blessed with clouds that 
drift over the mountains, the eye will find unspeakable 
pleasure in watching the shadows that will droop 
swiftly from cone to base, and in following the inces- 
sant flushes and frolics of li2:ht and shade that robe 
them with ever-chanf?ino: charm. 

But to appreciate the beauty and majesty of these 
mountains that are in view from the Glen House and 
Gorham path, one should see them late on a bright 
summer afternoon, either in ascending or descending 
Mt. Washington. Then the sun is behind them, sink- 
ino: in the west. Then the richest contrasts of color, 
of light, and of shadow are revealed. The summit 
and shoulders of Mt. Jefferson glow with rich orange 
hues. The slanting light streams between the peaks 
and burnishes the sides of their ragged pyramids. The 
"Gulf of Mexico" gapes with more terror as the 
shadows from its walls, that measure more than a 
thousand feet, fall far into its base. And as the sun 
falls nearer and nearer the horizon, the sharp shadows 
of Mt. Adams and of the neighboring peaks stream 
down upon the Glen House valley, and march up the 
opposite slopes of Carter, to dislodge its yellow light 
*hat melts into purple, and to cover them Avith dusk. 
The noon time is the poorest of all seasons to be on 
the ridf>:e of Mt. Ayashin2:ton ; for then there are no 
shadows. And it is a pity that the great majority of 



WHITE MOUJ^TAIJ\r GUIDE. 45 

those who ascend the range see the scenery during the 
most unpoetic hours, near midday. 

From the summit of " The Ledge," where the 
view of the three great mountains we have been speak- 
ing of is first gained, the path rises over a series of 
receding plateaus. Each seems to be the summit, as 
one looks from below. It is on account of this struc- 
ture of the cone of Mt. Washington, that it fails to 
show its real height until one gets far enough off from 
it in the valleys to escape the effect of foreshortening. 

During the last part of the ascent one will see the 
pile of stones that marks the spot where Miss Bourne, 
of Kennebunk, Me., died, near midnight, in Septem- 
ber, 1855, and where her uncle and cousin kept sad 
watch till dawn. They started in the afternoon, with- 
out a guide, to walk to the summit. Night and fog 
overtook them, and the young lady perished in the 
chill and darkness among the rocks, but a few rods 
from the house they were in search of. Quite near, 
also, is the shelving rock, beneath which the remains 
of an elderly gentleman from Wilmington, Del., were 
found in July, 1857. He had attempted to ascend the 
mountain alone, one afternoon in August of the year 
before, and must have been overtaken by storm, and 
cold, and darkness, near the summit. His Avatch, and 
some bank bills in his vest pocket, were found unin- 
jured ; though most of the body, and even part of the 
skeleton, were gone. A little further below, and at the 
left of the ascending path, the ledge is visible where 
Dr. Benjamin Ball, of Boston, passed two nights in the 



46 WHITE MOUJVTJlIJ\r GUIDE. 

snow and sleet of an October storm, alone, without 
food or covering. He was rescued when nature was 
about sinking. His feet were frozen, and he could not 
speak. How his life was preserved in such exposure 
is a marvel. It is equally remarkable that, though his 
feet were severely frozen, they were saved. 

Since the completion of the carriage road to the 
summit, however, there seems to be no possibility of 
any such accident. In the fall of 1862, soon after the 
first snow, Mr. Thorn, the clerk at the Summit House, 
made the ascent in a sleigh. A winter visit to the top 
of Mt. Washington would hardly come within the pur- 
poses or desires of the pleasure tourist. Yet at present 
it can be safely and even agreeably made in the early 
part of the season. A sleighing party to the Summit 
is by no means without its pleasures, to those adven- 
turous enough to engage in it. Before the completion 
of the carriage road such an excursion was attended 
with great difficulty and danger. The first winter visit 
to the Summit was made December 7, 1858, by a sheriff, 
who desired to serve a writ in one of the suits that have 
arisen out of the disputed title to the most elevated land 
in New England. The party found the houses covered 
with snow ; and succeeded in forcing an entrance with 
great ditiicuUy. " The walls and all the furniture were 
draped with some four inches of frost, and the air 
was biting in the extreme. It was like a tomb, and 
a lamp was necessary in this snow cavern to enable 
the party to distinguish the surrounding objects. As 
delay was dangerous in the extreme, and having per- 



WHITE MOUJ\rTJiIJ\r GUIDE. 47 

fected their legal duty, the two prepared to return. 
Upon emerging from the houses they beheld to the 
south-west a cloud, rapidly increasing in volume, and 
rolling on towards them. When first seen it was small 
in magnitude, but it increased in size with alarming 
velocity, soon spreading over the entire south. They 
knew it was a frost cloud, and that to be cauofht in its 
folds would probably be fatal, and they hastened to 
avoid it. They had just entered the woods, at the base 
of the ledge, when it came upon them. So icy and 
penetrating was its breath, that to have encountered its 
blinding, freezing power on the unprotected height, 
would have been to have perished with it as a pall to 
cover them." 

Since the completion of the Railroad, on the opposite 
side of the Mountain, the Summit has been occupied as 
a station of the Meteorological Department of the United 
States Army, and observers have passed the entire 
winter there. They have experienced no unusual dif- 
ficulty in making weekly visits to the country below. 
The wind has sometimes assailed them with a velocity of 
100 miles per hour. The lowest point indicated by the 
thermometer, during the first year of observation, was 
— 59*^ Farenheit. This extreme cold occurred at the 
same time with a high wind, which rendered it ahuost 
insupportable even indoors. The account of the first 
winter has been published and forms an interesting vol- 
ume. 

Now let us ascend the last part of the steep cone, and 
stand upon the Summit. The time used in making the 
journey from the base in the Glen to the peak is gen- 

4 



48 WHITE moujvtjiijv guide. 

erally about three hours. It is often done in two hours 
and a half, and has been accomplished in less than two 
hours. AYhat a stupendous view ! A horizon of nearly 
six hundred miles bounds the prospect ! The mountain 
peaks stand on every side as sentinels over the furrowed 
valleys of New England ! 

If the day is clear, one can see Monadnock loom, as 
a pale blue film, a hundred miles off on the south-west.' 
Far in the east Katahdin is driven like a wedfje into 
the sky. Westward the eye roams almost to the Cat- 
skills ; northward into Canada, far beyond the sources 
of the Connecticut ; southward, to the mouth of the 
Saco. In a clear morning or evening, if there is a 
silvery gleam on the south-eastern horizon, it tells that 
the sun is shininsr on the sea off Portland. 

Nearer to us on the west towers the gloomy ridge 
of Francouia, subsiding towards the Merrimack. That 
flash now and then through the opaline southern air is 
from Winnipesaukee, the most exquisite jewel in the 
necklace of New England. On the near north the 
twin-domed Stratford mountains tower. Their barren 
pallor, seen through the uncertain air, counterfeits 
snow. The cloven Pinkham Pass lies directly beneath 
us, bending around to lovely North Conway. Over 
this last village we observe the drooping shoulders of 
Kearsarge, whose northern sides flow from the sum- 
mit as softly as full folds of drapery fall from a ring. 
Mt. Crawford attracts attention by his singular knob- 
like crest ; and near him, all the winding Bartlett hills 
stand up, guarding the shy beauty of the intervales. 
The lone: and solid "Pleasant Mountain" draws the 



WHITE MOUJ\r^IJ\r GUIDE. 49 

eye, set so squarely near the still silver of Lovewell's 
Pond. And farther south the dim, level, leopard- 
spotted land stretches wide to the horizon haze. 

Of course it is unwise to attempt to describe such a 
view. It is the map of New England printed before 
us in glowing poetry. Those who look upon the sub- 
lime diorama for the first time, under favorable circum- 
stances, are so oppressed by the novelty and grandeur, 
that they do not appreciate what they have seen till 
some days afterwards. Then it rises in memory, and 
becomes a perpetual treasure for " the mind's eye." 
No one should fail to make the ascent, if health is 
good. There is no danger worth calculating, and the 
fatigue that may be incurred is nothing to the spectacle 
that is offered. Especially are the temptations to 
ascend greater now to ladles and partial invalids, since 
such admirable accommodation is found in the hotel on 
the Summit. 

The legal controversies which so long prevented the 
erection of a suitable house on the Summit have at 
last been fully settled. The old hotels, the " Tip-Top 
House " and the " Summit House," rough, uncouth 
structures, with low walls of coarse stone, still remain 
to remind one of the slow advances of civilization a 
mile above the sea. Yet they were welcomed as great 
boons when first erected. Prior thereto, there was no 
shelter for man or beast. Visitors, then as now, often 
passed through severe storms of cold rain ; and the pros- 
pect, even if clear, afforded little delight to one almost 
perishing with cold. There could, of course, be no long 
waiting for a clearing-off. 



50 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

Those who ascended Mt. Wasbington in those days 
can feehngly appreciate the protection that now awaits 
them. Tlie carriages and the railway both laud their 
passengers on the broad platform of the Mt. Washing- 
ton House. This is a large, well-built, comfortable 
house, with a spacious parlor and other public rooms. 
It has rooms for about one hundred guests. Steam- 
pipes running through all the rooms dispel the cold 
and damp ; so that the house, even in a storm, is as com- 
fortable as those on lower levels. The dining-room is 
commodious and pleasant, and the table as well supplied 
as in any first-class hotel. Mrs. John W. Dodge, who 
has been in charge of the house since it was first opened, 
is manager. The price for dinner is $1.50 ; and for 
supper, lodging, and breakfast, $4.50, or $6.00 per day. 
When it is considered that the expense of erecting and 
maintaininfi: the house is far greater than that of build- 
ings in less-exposed localities, and that every thing used 
in the house must be brought from below, the charge 
will not be found unreasonable. 

As has already been suggested, the larger number of 
people travelling from one side to the other now pass 
over the Summit. The baggage is all checked at the 
railroad-station, and no difficulty is experienced in mak- 
ing the change. This saves a day's delay and a long 
stage-ride. A great many, too, remain over night on 
the Summit. This may be done in perfect comfort and 
safety, whatever the weather may be. Even if one has 
to wait for pleasant weather in order to fully enjoy the 
prospect, the delay has its advantages. Even a storm, 
with the sight of immense masses of fog driving by, 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 51 

with perhaps an occasional glimpse of sunlight above, 
while the whole of the earth below is wrapped in im- 
penetrable mist, so that one can look upon a vast ocean 
of cloud, boiling and seething like a caldron, forms a 
picture, which, once seen, is not soon forgotten. A night 
there, in which one can see a clear sunset, a moonrise, 
and a sunrise, is a privilege that is well worth the attempt 
to gain. One appreciates the height of Mt. Washington 
more by looking up in the night to the mighty dome of 
stars, than by looking off and below in the day. Or, if 
the night is wild and stormy, the feeling one gains there 
of the tremendous forces amid which we are placed on 
this globe will more than atone for any uneasiness or 
discomfort. 

If the night be clear, the gratification which one 
receives is unequalled by any experience of mountain 
travelling. The sunset is magnificent beyond descrip- 
tion. The light is gradually softened during the after- 
noon, when the most exquisite views are obtained of 
all the surrounding country. As the sun slowly sinks 
in the west, the shadows of the mountains enlarge in 
proportions, and extend far and wide. The great py- 
ramidal shadow of the Summit travels along the eastern 
landscape, gradually darkening green fields, pleasant 
lakes, winding rivers, and the snug hamlets that line 
their shores, till, reaching the horizon, the apex actually 
seems to lift itself into the haze. The line of ocean is 
now distinctly visible. The western mountains are 
glowing with golden light. The sun goes down in a 
blaze of glory. Then as the shadows deepen, the mists 



52 WHITE MOUJSTTAIJ^ GUIDE. 

begin to collect on the surface of every lake, and pond, 
and brook, till it seems as though each little sheet of 
water was blanketed and tucked in beneath its own 
coverlet of cloud, to spend the night in undisturbed 
repose. Soon the Great Gulf, the deep ravines on 
either side, are filled Avith vapor, which, accumulating 
every moment, come reaching up the slopes of the 
mountains, till all the hollows are full clear to the 
brim. Then the surrounding summits peer out, lifting 
their heads above the dense masses. It seems as 
though one could walk across to Clay, Jeiferson, 
Adams, and Madison upon this broad platform of 
mist. Should this phenomenon occur before sunset, as 
sometimes it does, the effect is indescribably beautiful 
and grand, as though bridges of burnished gold had 
been thrown across the deep chasms from mountain 
top to mountain top. Through the long twilight these 
magical and shifting scenes continue, till the hour of 
retiring comes, and the comfortable beds of the hotel 
invite repose. At early dawn the traveller is aroused 
to witness the reverse of the picture which he saw 
upon the previous evening. The sun comes up from 
the sea, the great pyramid of shadow beginning in the 
west gradually contracts, the little cloud blankets rise 
from the lakes and float away into the upper air, and 
the sun, "as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber," 
clothed in light, " rejoiceth as a strong man to run a 
race." After such an experience, one can go down 
into the plain below, better and wiser for his visit 
among the clouds. 



WHITE MOUJ^TAIJf GUIDE. 53 

But it is time to turn from the hospitality of the 
Summit House, and descend, through the exciting 
views that lie around Mt. Washington, to the Glen 
House once more. We have not spoken of other 
attractions that belong to its neighborhood. One of 
these is a ride to " The Imp," which we have already 
described. On the way there one should not fail to 
visit the 

Gaknet Pools. 

This series of basins in the Peabody River is situated 
near the Gorham road, at the foot of a gentle rise in 
the main road, about a mile from the hotel. Follow- 
ing the path by the bridge to the bank of the Pea- 
body River, you will find the rocks of the river bed for 
some little distance curiously and delicately hollowed 
out and polished by the action of the water. In this, 
as in many other similar places in the mountain region, 
one is naturally curious to know how long these rocks 
have been subjected to such influence. A year's action 
makes no visible impression upon the solid granite, and 
yet, in many places, the rocks are worn away for fifteen 
or twenty feet. Garnet Pools is a tempting place for 
one interested in the studies of rock sculpture. 

The most pleasurable excursions, however, are to be 
made on the road to North Conway and the Notch. 
We Avould first call attention to 

TnoirpsoN's Falls. 
This picturesque series of falls is to be found on a 



54 WHITE Mouj\rTJiiJ\r ouide, 

tributary of the Peabody, about two railes from the 
hotel, on the road to North Conway. A guide-board 
informs you of the point at which you turn to the left 
and follow a path about a quarter of a mile into the 
woods. The brook is a tributary to the Peabody, and 
is usually well filled with water. These falls cannot 
compare in volume to the falls on the Ellis River, nor 
rival in the height of precipitous leap the cascade in the 
Notch. But for a series of delightful cascades and 
water-slides, and as furnishing a ramble of an hour or 
two among delicious bits of wild and romantic views, 
they may be truly called unequalled. You may follow 
up the brook for half a mile, without reaching the last 
of the series. If there were no other attractions, one 
would always be amply compensated for the toil of the 
ascent by the view that is gained of Mt. Washington 
and Tuckerman's Ravine. From no other point so 
easily accessible is so magnificent a picture of this 
mountain scenery presented. 

The Emerald Pool 

is so well worth visiting that a better path should be 
cut to it from the road. It is situated at a very short 
distance from the road, just before reaching the Thomp- 
son Falls. 

The water of the river, after tossing and tumbling 
among the rocks, here flows into this quiet basin, and 
after reposing long enough to mirror the surrounding 
scenery, once more emerges, to recommence its toilsome 
journey. This pool is especially attractive for the quiet 



WHITE MOUJTTAIJ^ GUIDE. 55 

aud seclusion produced by the repose of the water, and 
the grace and coolness of the overhanging foliage. 
Let us attend next to 

The Glen Ellis Fall. 

This cataract is one of the interesting features of 
the wild scenery in the neighborhood of the Glen House. 
Carriages run regularly from the hotel to carry visitors. 

The fall is about four miles from the Glen House, 
near the road to North Conway and the Notch. It is 
very easy of access from the point where you leave the 
wagon, though it requires nearly half an hour, with 
ladies, to reach it. Five minutes' walk through the for- 
est takes one Avithin hearing of the rich roar that an- 
nounces the nearness of the cataract. A critical ear 
could construct the form and grandeur of the fall from 
its voice. Its bass quality, not broad and massive, but 
youthful, vigorous, and intense, and the slight splashi- 
ness that borders and thins its baritone, foretell that we 
are to come upon a narrow cataract, leaping from a 
great height, with concentrated stream, into a shallow 
basin. But the sound does not prepare a stranger for 
the startling view upon which the forest path suddenly 
opens. From the carriage road, the foot track is nearly 
level, leading to a tree that overhangs a precipice of 
more than a hundred feet. We lean against this tree 
for support, not Avithout misgivings as to its roots, and 
look down upon a huge wall of rock, over which the 
.Ellis River, stranding the streams of its various brooks 
into a huge liquid cable, whose constant friction has 



56 



WHITE MOUJVTJlIJ\r GUIDE. 



worn a deep groove in the granite, slides at a very sliarp 
an"^le for some twenty feet, and then leaps, as from the 
nose of a gigantic pitcher, sixty feet more. The public 
(as well as the cascade) are indebted to Mr. Shepley, 
of Portland, for changing its name from " Pitcher 
Fall," which Avas first given to it, to the more appro- 
priate title of 




GLEN ELLIS FALL. 



WHITE MOUJVTAIJ^ GUIDE. 57 

This view, as well as that of Crystal Cascade, 
is engraved from a photograph taken by Bierstadt 
Bros. 

To discover the most romantic and charming combi- 
nations in mountain scenery, one must explore the larger 
streams on their way to the open valleys. The Naiads 
know how to turn their course through the most pic- 
turesque passes, under the richest arches of forest 
boughs, and down the most bewitching dells. This is 
one of the glorious perquisites of the devoted trout- 
fisher, that his profession (for it is really one of the 
fine arts), leads him along the by-ways of beauty that 
are hidden from the eyes of ease-loving travellers, and 
up through winding cascade-aisles to many an adytum 
of forest Avildness or mountain grandeur. Probably 
some trout-fisher was the discoverer of Glen Ellis Fall, 
which has been known only a few years. The first 
sight of it must have given a most impressive joy to 
the explorer if he were a man of taste. 

The spot where it pours is more wild, and combines 
more of the elements of loneliness, untamablcness, 
lawless beauty, and strong contrasts of features, than 
any other spot in the White Mountain region. The 
overhanging tree, against which the visitor leans to 
look down at the water-fall, giving him a footing that 
undermines his delight with a sense of insecurity and 
fear ; the steep mountain wall opposite, more than 
three thousand feet high, and thick set to the top with 
trees ; the hard granite rampart over which the com- 
pact white stream slips, and then spouts into the basin 



68 WHITE movjsttjiijv guide. 

below, and the smoothly carved groove, telling of the 
ages that have been exhausted in that merry rasping 
of the rock by the water-drops ; the loveliness of the 
basin itself, when one goes down to it, and contrasts its 
green, placid surface with the leaping crystal column 
that pours into it from eighty feet above, — these, and 
the cheerful tripping of the stream on its Avay again in 
search of new adventures, after its mad plunge, com- 
bine to make a mountain retreat, whose wildness and 
music Scott would have delighted to enshrine in his 
vigorous verse, and which no visitor of Gorham and 
the Glen House should leave unvisited. Trenton has 
not any one scene, or any one cascade, so striking. It 
has always seemed to me, on a smaller scale, more like 
the scenery at the Natural Bridge in Virginia, than 
any other district of the White Mountains. 

About an hour is required to reach Glen Ellis Fall 
from the Glen House. Visitors need another hour at 
the spot. Generally the visitor is too hurried. Twice 
the time that can be given is generally found to be 
needed. 

We must next visit another waterfall, which is one 
of the most delightful resources of a visit at the Glen 
House. The 

Crystal Cascade 
is gained from an entrance in the woods about a mile 
from the Glen Ellis Fall, on the way back to the Glen 
House, from which it is only three miles distant. It 
pours down from heights opposite to those which feed 



WHITE JWOUJVTjIIJV GUIDE. 59 

the Ellis river. Its descent is. about eighty feet. Part 
of its water comes from the dome of Mt. Washino-ton 
through Tuckerman's Ravine. It takes twenty or 
thirty minutes of forest walking and climbing to reach 
the Crystal Cascade. The true point to see it is not 
the immediate foot of the fall, although most persons 
go there, but a high bank opposite, that overhangs the 
aged granite, and has plenty of the softest seats cush- 
ioned with moss a foot or more in depth. If it is wil- 
derness, and the spirit of strong, bounding, unruly life 
that fascinates in the spot we have just left, here it is 
delicate and exquisite beauty. 

At Glen Ellis the whole stream pitches in one con- 
centrated tide ; here, every pint of water is spread 
with charming economy to the utmost service. Some 
seventy feet above, we can see the brook pouring in a 
single stream around the bend. Then the rock broad- 
ens into a rough stairway, with easy slope, wdiich 
grows wider and wider to the bottom, and down these 
steps the spreading water sheds its white, thin, dancing 
and broken sheet, showing, now and then, through its 
gauzy texture, the deep green mosses clinging to the 
rocks w^hich soften its own fall, and make its cool music 
more gentle and luscious to the ear. 

A friend of ours once compared it, quite happily, to 
an inverted liquid plume — the rill above, where the 
water is one stream, being the stem, and the widen- 
ing, fleecy flow its nodding, graceful, feathery spray. 
As to the form of the cascade, nothing can be finer 
than the simile. But the delicate texture and color of 



60 



WHITE MOUJ^TAIJsT OUIDE. 



the descending rill suggest laces, and frills, and foam- 
embroidery. It is as though fairy milliners had set 
their wits to work to weave a ruffled bosom for the 
rocky breast of Mt. Washington, out of the snow-ilax 
that falls in winter around his head. 




CRYSTAL CASCADE. 
There is a youthful and masculine energy in the 
Glen Ellis Fall. The Crystal Cascade shows rather a 



WHITE MOUJ^TAIJ\r GUIDE. 61 

feminine, maideuly delicacy and grace. There are 
always two parties among those who visit these falls, 
some contending for the superiority of the first, others 
for the greater charm of the last. If the reader visits 
both, no doubt he will adopt our opinion, that neither 
can be spared, and that they are so different as to re- 
pel comparison. A long forenoon or afternoon should 
be taken to make the excursion to both spots. 
We come now to speak of 

Tuckerman's Ravine, 

whose walls are visible from the Glen House. This 
ravine is a tremendous gulf, in the southerly side of 
Mt. Washington. It was named in honor of Edward 
Tuckerman, Esq., who has been a faithful explorer of 
the White Mountains. He often visited the ravine, 
before the tide of travel turned to the eastern side of 
the mountains, to complete his knowledge of the 
lichens and flora of the region. 

The hard, bare, thin, and curling edge of the south- 
rrestern wall of this ravine, as seen from the Glen 
House, is one of the most striking mountain lines visible 
from that fascinating spot. The gulf may be reached 
by climbing directly up the stream of the Crystal Cas- 
cade just spoken of. That stream flows through the 
centre of the sloping base of the ravine. 

But the easier way is to follow the carriage road, 
for about two miles, up Mt. Washington ; strike off to 
the left into a forest-path, cut by direction of Mr. 
Thompson, of the Glen House, and cross two and a 



62 WHITE MOUJ^'-TAIJ^ GUIDE. 

half miles of forest, that lie between the carriage road 
and " Hermit Lake." The more common way now, 
however, is to descend into the ravine from or near 
the summit. The Thompson path is not kept so free 
from obstructions, since the greater number of travel- 
lers prefer to descend into the ravine from the Summit. 

The little sheet of water, called Hermit Lake, so 
snugly embowered in the wilderness, would attract 
more attention, were it not for the frowning wall of 
the ravine that looms over it, and draws the eye up- 
wards. It lies under the south-east ridge. Emerging 
from the woods here, we see that the ravine is of horse- 
shoe shape — the opposite outer cliff more than a thou- 
sand feet in height, the bottom sloping upwards towards 
the backward crescent wall, and the rim quite level. 
Explorers must climb along the centre of the gulf, by 
the bed of a stream, pausing every minute to gaze at 
the grim ramparts on either hand, and to invent, pos- 
sibly, some new exclamation of amazement and awe. 
Facing the party, as they make their way slowly up- 
ward, will be the grand curve of the sheer precipice 
that lies some way off, and up under the summit of Mt. 
Washington. It is symmetrical, seemingly, as the 
wall of the Coliseum. 

The sight of that stupendous amphitheatre of stone, 
when one gets near enough >to appreciate it, would of 
itself repay and overpay the labor of the climb. It is 
fitly called the " Mountain Coliseum." No other word 
expresses it, and that comes spontaneously to the lips. 
The eye needs some hours of gazing and comparatis'e 



WHITE MOUJ\rTjJIJV GUIDE. 63 

measurement to fit itself for an appreciation of its scale 
and sublimity. 

One can hardly believe, while standing there, that 
the sheer concave sweep of the back wall of the ravine 
was the work of an earthquake throe. It seems as 
though Titanic geometry and trowels must have come 
in to perfect a primitive volcanic sketch. One might 
easily fancy it the Stonehenge of a pre-Adamite race, 
— the unroofed ruins of a temple, reared by ancient 
Anaks long before the birth of man, for which the 
dome of Mt. Washington was piled as the western 
tower. 

There have been land slides and rock avalanches as 
terrible in that ravine as at Dixville Notch. The teeth 
of the frosts have been as pitiless, the desolation of the 
cliffs is as complete, but the spirit of the place is not 
so gloomy as at Dixville. It is sublime rather than 
awful or dispiriting. At Dixville, all is decay, wreck, 
the hopeless submission of matter in the coil of its hun- 
gry foes. In Tuckerman's Ravine there is a grand 
battle of granite against storm and frost, — a Roman 
resistance, as though it could hold out for ages yet, be- 
fore the siege of winter and all the batteries of the air. 

Unless the season is very dry, the back wall of this 
Mountain Coliseum will glitter with innumerable veins 
of water, which are called " The Thousand Streams." 
When one has reached the base of this curving preci- 
pice, it is not a very difficult task to climb to the sum- 
mit of Mt. Washington. Parties have sometimes done 
so, passed the night there, and returned to the Glen 

5 



64 WHITE moujvtjsijv guide. 

House the next day. Many also have visited the ravine 
by descending into it, with a guide, from the top of 
Mt. Washington. The distance from the summit of 
the mountain to tlie bottom of the gulf is about a mile. 
A visit to Tuckerman's Ravine, in August, will be 
the more interesting if '' The SnoAV Arch" is formed 
there. Nearly every year this beautiful spectacle is to 
be seen. The snow is blown over from the summit 
of Mt. "Washington by the north-west winds, in winter, 
and is packed in drifts of a hundred feet deep, under 
the walls of " The Coliseum." The streams of early 
spring and summer channel the snow bank, and it 
gradually melts from the roof within, till a vast snow 
cave is formed, through which a person may walk. In 
August, 1855, the snow field measured about 300 feet 
long, 70 in breadth, and 15 in depth. The roof of the 
part that was channelled v/as some five feet thick, and 
very solid. A hatchet Avas necessary to cut it. The 
top of the span was about ten feet high inside. The 
whole roof was wrought into beautiful scallops and 
chasings by the melting and dropping of the snow 
within. The bank does not disappear till the last of 
August. The dog-day fogs penetrate and dissolve it. 
Thus Ave narroAvly escape having a glacier formed near 
the top of Mt. Washington. 

Glen House to the Crawford House. 

Having noAV passed a feAV days, or, still better, a 
feAV Aveeks amidst the Avondrous scenery around the 
Glen House, Ave leave, Avith reluctance, this pleasant 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 65 

hotel, and its hospitable hosts, and continue our journey 
to the Crawford House, at the Great Notch. 

Although the greater part of the travel through the 
mountain region now goes over Mt. Washington, it must 
not be forgotten that there is a very delightful route 
around the southern side of the range, and through the 
White Mountain Notch. This was once the great 
thoroughfare, not only for pleasure travel but for per- 
sons having business in Coos County. 

No stage now leaves the Glen House for the Craw- 
ford House direct. The stages, which are run twice a 
day to connect with the trains at North Conway, also 
take passengers for the Crawford House, who take the 
cars of the Portland and Qo^densburoh Railroad at 
Bartlett, fifteen miles from the Glen House. From 
this station to the Crawford House the distance is 
twenty-one miles. The distance from the Glen House 
to North Conway is twenty-one miles. 

This route is first in a southerly direction through 
the Pinkham Notch, then westerly along the South- 
eastern flank of the mountains, and finally North 
through the Great Notch. This is the true way in 
which the Crawford House should be approached, em- 
bracing as it does the sublime impression received in 
gradually climbing up through this noble mountain pass. 

On leaving the Glen House the road lies directly 
down the little descent towards the south. On the 
right, the carriage road to Mt. Washington turns off, 
and, crossing the rustic bridge over the Peabody 
E-iver, is soon lost among the trees. The forests, — 



66 WHITE J\IOUJVT^IJ\r GUIDE. 

with the long festoons of gray moss hanging from the 
trees, relieved by the soft green moss at their feet, and 
variegated by the mountain boxberry, the violet-striped 
orcalis, the linna^a borealis, and the orebis, — now close 
in on each side ; the open space of Bellows' clearing, 
which we left, is no longer visible, and we can catch 
only occasional glimpses througli the foliage of the 
overhanging cliffs of Carter Mountain on the left, and 
of the lofty hills beyond the river on the right. We 
are fairly within the portals of Pinkham Notch, and 
the silence and solitude are relieved only by the tin- 
kling, and bubbling, and rushing of the Peabody River, 
as tlie road follows closely its rocky bed. Here and 
there are quiet pools much frequented in the warm 
season by the lover of trouting. 

About two or three miles from the Glen House the 
road crosses the river twice in quick succession, and 
reaches the highest point of the Notch. Here the Pea- 
body River and the Ellis Issue In nearly parallel courses 
from the forest on the right, so near to each other that 
a slight amount of labor would turn either stream into 
the other. Indeed, a part of the w^ater that descends at 
the Crystal Cascade seeks the ocean by the Peabody 
River, and a part flows into the Saco by the Ellis. As 
soon as they have passed under the road, the Peabody 
turns abruptly down the ravine to the north to unite 
with the Androscoggin, while the Ellis takes an oppo- 
site course down the Notch towards the Saco. 

Between the two streams, on the right, is the entrance 
to the Crystal Cascade, already spoken of, distant from 
the road only about a third of a mile. 



WHITE MOUJVT^rJV GUIDE. 67 

After leaving the entrance to this cascade we cross 
the Ellis River, and soon pass the Mineral Spring 
House, an unfinished and uninhabited cottage in the 
edge of the forest on the right. This house, the only 
shelter for seven miles, was located here on account of 
the supposed medicinal character of the spring near by ; 
but the project has been abandoned, and the building 
seems going to ruin. 

Proceeding a little farther, we reach the entrance to 
the Glen Ellis Falls on the left. This cascade is 
nearer the road than the other, and is approached by 
an easy path of plank. 

The Foot of Pinkham Notch. 

Passino; down the Notch for two or three miles, the 
country opens again, and cleared fields on the intervals 
of the Ellis River take the place of unsubdued forests. 
Near this point a glance towards the north-west is re- 
warded by a fine view of a monster bowlder, apparently 
rolling down a south-eastern spur of Mt. Washington. 
The first house is soon reached, and we seek to catch a 
sight of the inhabitants, whose nearest neighbors on 
the north are seven miles away. The house is quite 
large, and is considerably visited by artists and others, 
who delight in the wildness of the surrounding scenery, 
and the substantial mountain fare. 

To this vicinity Capt. Joseph Pinkham, and four 
other hardy pioneers, removed in April, 1790, from 
Madbury, in the lower part of the State. The Pink- 
ham family came up over the snow, which lay five feet 



68 WHITE MOUJVTj^IJV GUIDE. 

deep, and brought all their household goods from Coriv 
way on a hand-sled. They found their log cabin, 
"which had been erected during the previous autumn, 
almost buried in the snow. One of the sons of the 
family, Mr. Daniel Pinkham, constructed the Notch 
road, and gave to it his name. 

Jackson. 
A few miles more, through a widening valley, brings 
us to a sudden turn, which discloses the white spire of 
the church in "Jackson City." It belongs to a Free- 
will Baptist Society, founded in this quiet valley as 
early as 1803. You should not omit, near this point, 
to look back at the dark gorges, which open miles 
away towards Mt. Washington. A little distance on 
is a quiet but pleasant hotel, called the " Jackson 
Falls Hotel," kept by J. B. Trickey. This hotel 
is within three minutes' walk of the Jackson Falls. 
The Thorn Mountain House is on the opposite side of 
the river. The Glen Ellis House is a new hotel, thor- 
oughly built, and furnished in the best and most com- 
fortable style. It is kept by N. T. Stillings, who 
formerly kept the dining hotel when stages were the 
only conveyance on the route. This house is so located 
as to command the best views of the town of Jackson. 
Transient board, $2.50 per day ; $9.00 to $14.00 by the 
week. In this vicinity is some of the best trout-fishing 
to be found among the mountains; and those who are 
fond of the piscatorial art cannot do better than make 
these hotels their home for a short time. Near by is a 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 69 

romantic cascade on the Wild-cat Brook, a tributary 
of the Ellis River. Excursions may be made to the 
Fernald Farm, four or five miles distant, and to the Iron 
Mountains. Jackson is situated at an elevation of 759 
feet above the sea level. 

From the portico of the hotel there is gained a fine 
view of the siirroimdin<x mountains. Facio": the south 
you see Iron Mountain, rising to the height of 2,900 
feet on the right, and the bald peak of Tin Mountain 
on the left. Soon after leaving the hotel the two noble 
peaks of Doublehead come into view in the north-east. 
The nearer peak is 3,000 feet high, and the farther a 
hundred feet higher. Jackson has vast mineral re- 
sources, possessing, besides many less important metals, 
iron, copper, and tin. The last was discovered here 
before it had been found in any other part of the United 
States. This town was first named New Madbury, 
then Adams, in honor of the great statesman, and 
finally received its present name Avhen Adams and 
Jackson were competitors for the presidency, — all its 
voters but one being in favor of the latter. 

Between this place and Goodrich Falls, the large 
and heavily wooded hills lie wide from the road, and 
bend around the pastures like the walls of huge coli- 
seums. Here and there a glimpse is caught of the hard 
summits of the Washington range, which have been 
hidden for several miles by the nearer ridges, Avhen 
suddenly a view of them opens by a sharp turn in the 
road, which, for grandeur, surpasses any aspect they 



70 WHITE MOUJSTTAIJ^ GUIDE. 

present from other points. Artists prefer this point to 
any others that are accessible for studies of the mas- 
siveness and sublimity of the imperial ridge. 

The Carter Notch 
can be best reached from Jackson. This notch is nearly 
ten miles from Jackson, and has been but little visited, 
though the scenery is wild and romantic. It is only 
about five miles from the Glen House ; but the path is 
difficult and obscure. It is proposed to open a more 
practicable route during this season ; and it is to be 
hoped that it will be done. 

On leaving Jackson, one should not fail to be on the 
alert for a view of 

Goodrich Falls. 
A mile below Jackson, just before crossing the new 
trestle bridge over the Ellis Kiver, you can obtain a 
fine view of Goodrich Falls. Leaving the road a little 
above the bridge, and proceeding a few rods to the 
right, you come to an old bridge in front of the cata- 
ract, from which a good view can be obtained. This 
is the largest perpendicular fall to be seen among the 
mountains, and after heavy rains appears quite grand. 
At any time the view down the river between the steep 
wooded banks is exceedingly picturesque. A short 
scramble on the opposite side of the river will be 
amply rewarded by the nearer view of the falls which 
is thereby gained. The erection of the mill has greatly 
injured the view ; but enough remains to reward the 
observer. 



white mountain guide. 71 

The Saco Valley. 

At the Glen Station, the tourist leaves the carriage. 
The remainder of the route is up the famed Saco Val- 
ley, over the Portland and Ogdensburgh Railroad. The 
distance to the Crawford House is twenty-one miles. 
This is the original route to the mountains, and formed 
not only the grand highway before any of the railroads 
were built, but also served as the chief line of com- 
munication between the country to the north and the 
southern portions of the State. 

The whole valley is very attractive ; and one is in- 
clined to doubt whether the old mode of conveyance, 
even if more fati<yuing, had not some advantages over 
the easier journey by rail. The beautiful level inter- 
vals on each side of the stream are worthy of our at- 
tention, as well as the hills, which rise boldly on each 
side at no great distance from the river. Before us, a 
little to the left, are the three peaks of Tremont Moun- 
tain, about 3,500 feet in height ; and directly behind, for 
a long distance, we can see the noble pyramidal form of 
Kiarsarge or Pequawket, whose solitariness gives it a 
lonely dignity scarcely equalled by any other mountain 
in the region. The highway was the tenth turnpike 
constructed in New Hampshire, and was incorporated in 
1803. It extends through the Notch, and through Nash 
and Sawyer's Location, twenty miles, and cost forty 
thousand dollars. On account of the immense travel 
over it, it nevertheless paid well. 

The trip by rail through the Notch should not be 
omitted, whatever be the route by which the Notch is 
approached. If the route now described is taken, the 



72 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

railroad is, of course, an essential part. If Mt. Wash- 
ington is crossed, and the tourist descends by the rail- 
way to the Fabyan or Crawford House, or if he enter 
the mountains from the west, over the Boston, Concord, 
and Montreal Railroad, he ought, as a part of his visit, 
as essential as the ascent of Mt. Washington, to make 
the excursion trip from the Notch to Conway and return, 
which is provided for by a special arrangement of the 
trains. The road, even in the present state of raih'oad 
engineering, is remarkable for its successful victory over 
natural obstacles ; while, to those who are not specially 
interested in practical mechanics, it is equally interesting 
for the noble views it affords. 

As you go north, the road for the more difficult and 
abrupt part of the ascent clings to the left side of the 
pass, gradually working up to the height of the Crawford 
House plateau. That this ascent may be more clearly 
realized, we give the altitudes as furnished by the 
engineer, Mr. John F. Anderson. The distances are 
from the Crawford House. 

Saco River, junction of the Ellis, 20^ miles, 511 feet. 

Saco River, junction of Rocky Branch, 19 miles, 560 
feet. 

Upper Bartlett Village, 15 miles, 660 feet. 

Nancy's Brook, at highway crossing, 9 miles, 1003 
feet. 

Willey House, at highway, 3 miles, 1323 feet. 

South end of Gate of the Notch, -^^ miles, 1819 feet. 

Crawford House, 1899 feet. 

Highest grade on the road, 1893 feet. 

Fabyan House, 4 miles, 1571 feet. 



white mountain guide. 73 

Upper Bartlett 

is the first station, after leaving the Glen Station. The 
town of Bartlett is nearly coincident with a tract of land 
granted to Capt. William Stark and Vere Royce, as a 
reward for services performed in Canada during the 
French and Indian war, and was settled about 1770. 

The village is small ; but there are many houses at 
considerable intervals along the valley. The Bartlett 
House, kept by Frank Gerry, will accommodate thirty 
guests. About two miles north of the village is Saw- 
yer's River, which rises in the Notch of Carrigaiu Moun- 
tain. The owners of the land in this locality have a 
charter for a railroad, which they propose to build to 
move the lumber. If built, it will lead nearly to the 
east branch of the Pemigewassett, and open an easy 
road to the Profile House. 

On the highway, just before reaching this stream, is 
the high rock which is called 

Sawyer's Rock, 
and famous for its association with the discovery of 
the Great Notch. The story is -narrated by Mr. Wil- 
ley, in his well-known White Mountain Incidents. In 
early periods, the land on the north side of the moun- 
tains was almost valueless on account of the long cir- 
cuit which must be made to reach it. It is supposed 
that the Indians had been acquainted with the pass, 
now called the Notch, and had taken their prisoners 
through it to Canada ; but it was still unknown to the 
white inhabitants, until about 1771 a solitary hunter, 
named Nash, happened to climb a tree on Cherry 



74 WHITE j\iouj\rTJiij\r guide. 

Mountain to look for game. Casting his eye towards 
the south-east he thought he perceived an opening 
through the mountains. Making his way in that direc- 
tion, he arrived at last at the narrow opening called 
the Gate of the Notch, and passing through the gorge 
he proceeded to Portsmouth, and announced the long 
wished-for discovery to Gov. Wentw^orth. Hunters 
had before scaled the mountains on foot, so the gov- 
ernor determined to test the feasibility of the pass, by 
promising Nash a large tract of land on the north side 
of the mountains, — since known as Nash and Sawyer's 
Location, — if he would get a horse through and bring 
him to Portsmouth. This was by no means an easy 
task ; but by the aid of Sawyer, a fellow-hunter, he suc- 
ceeded in bringing the horse through, sometimes draw- 
ing him up high precipices with ropes, and then letting 
him down on the other side. When they let him down 
the last rock on the southern side, Sawyer drained the 
rum from his bottle, and, dashing it on the rock, ex- 
claimed, " This shall hereafter be called Sawyer's 
Rock ! " — and so it is. 

The mountains begin to draw nearer and nearer, and 
to assume more definitely the appearance of a mountain 
pass. Just before reaching Bemis' Station, the road 
crosses Nancy's Brook. The ravine over which this 
bridge is thrown is about 200 feet long, 20 feet wide, 
and 35 feet deep, and seems to have been chiselled from 
the solid granite. The rapid passage of the train barely 
enables one to catch a glimpse of the foaming water as it 
rushes by. 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 75 

It was near this spot that a disconsolate maiden per- 
ished with fatigue and cold, when she had walked all 
the way from Jefferson, through the snow and darkness, 
in pursuit of her recreant lover. She was found stiff 
and cold, sitting at the foot of a tree near the bank 
of this brook. The incident has already afforded mate- 
rial for the pen of the novelist ; and the skill of the 
pencil has been repeatedly employed in portraying the 
picturesque beauty of Nancy's Bridge, and its setting of 
wild rocks, and trees, and bubbling cascades. The best 
view is to be obtained at a little distance down the stream. 
A saw-mill, unfortunately, covers the upper half of the 
charming scene. 

Half a mile farther on, and nine miles from the Craw- 
ford House, is Bemis' Station. At this place is the old 
Mt. Crawford House, not now open. There was for- 
merly a bridle path up Mt. Washington from this spot. 

Here old Abel Crawford, styled the *' Patriarch of 
the Mountains," lived, and reared his family. At the age 
of seventy -five he made the first ascent ever made to Mt. 
Washington on horseback. When he was eighty, he was 
so robust as to think nothing of walking eight miles be- 
fore breakfast to his son's house at the Gate of the Notch, 
His son, Ethan Allen Crawford, called the " Giant of the 
Hills," cut the first bridle-path to Mt. Washington, 
in 1821. He resided at that time near the Fabian 
House ; and the path was nearly, if not quite, coincident 
with the one which winds along by the side of the rail- 
way. All the paths on the western side of the moun- 
tains were cut by the Crawfords. Ethan was a great 



76 WHITE MOUJ^TAIJ^ GUIDE. 

hunter, and used to delight his guests with quaintlv 
related stories of many a daring adventure. Both he 
and his father acted as guides to the travellers who, in 
their time, visited the mountains. At the time of the 
Willey slide, the Saco rose so rapidly and so high as 
to flood the lower story of Mr. Crawford's house, be- 
fore the family could escape. He himself was away 
from home, but the rest retired to the upper story, and 
during the raging tempest, Mrs. Crawford stood at the 
north window, clearing away with a pole the logs and 
other drift which pressed with so much force against 
the house as to threaten it with instant destruction. 
This intrepid woman Avas the mother of eight sons. 

The Approach to the Notch. 

As we proceed up the Saco, Mt. Crawford and the 
Giant's Stairs are distinctly visible beyond tlie river on 
the right. The southern peak, Mt. Crawford, is 3,200 
feet high, and the northern, 3,500. Between them is 
Mt. Resolution. Over these eminences passes the Da- 
vis Road to Mt. Washington. The road here winds 
along under the Frankenstein cliff, on a steep ascending 
grade, leaving the old liighway to gain as much altitude 
as possible before reaching the Notch. At this point, 
one must not fail to notice the iron trestle-bridge by 
which the ravine is crossed. It is 500 feet long, and 80 
feet high ; anil seems so slender, that a strong breeze will 
cause it to disappear. The road soon crosses the Brook 
Kedron, and discloses the great Notch. Looking up 
the gorge, we behold the frowning Webster on the 
right, the scarred sides of the fatal AVilley on the left, 
and the rounded summit of Mt. Willard just appearing 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 77 

far away in the middle of the picture. This view of 
Mt. Webster from the end is perhaps the most impres- 
sive way in which it can be seen. We cannot help 
wondering if human foot has ever dared to tread its 
apparently inaccessible heights, or to explore its myste- 
rious recess. Well was it named for him whose over- 
hanging, thoughtful brow these majestic cliffs so much 
resemble. 

Passing the Willey House, far below in the Notch, 
the road is now under the precipitous side of Mt. Wil- 
lard, and soon emerges through the gate of the Notch, 
crossing the head waters of the Saco, and stopping at 
the Crawford House station. 

Of the Notch, Starr King wrote as follows : " There 
is little need now of any detailed or elaborate descrip- 
tion of the wildness and majesty of the Notch. Its 
tremendous walls are touched with a terror, reflected 
from the Willey calamity, which is not explained by 
the abrupt battlements of Mt. Willey and Mt. Web- 
ster, and the purple bluff of Mt. Willard, which 
stands in the way between them to forbid any passage 
through. It is well to remind visitors at the Crawford 
House, however, that the most impressive view of the 
Notch, after all, is not gained by riding up through it 
from Bartlett, but by riding down into it from the 
Crawford House through the narrow gateway. Tliis 
excursion should, without fail, be made from the 
Crawford House by all persons who have only ascended 
through it from Conway by stage. They will find a 
turn in the road, not a mile from the gateway, where 
three tremendous rocky lines sweep down to a focus 



78 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

from Mt. Willard, Mt. Webster, and Mt. Willey. There 
is more character in this view than in the aspect of the 
open gorge at the AVilley House. This is the Notch in 
bud, with its power concentrated, and suggested to the 
imagination. At the Willey House it is all open ; you 
stand between walls two miles long ; and there are no 
ragged, nervous lines of rock running down from a 
cloud, or lying sharp against the blue distance. Espe- 
cially if one can take a walk or drive to the point we 
speak of, near the Crawford House, late in a clear after- 
noon, he will be doubly repaid by the sight of one of 
these mountain edges sweeping down in shadow to the 
haggard ruins at its base, and of the others glistening 
delicate and cheerful gold. A moonlight view at the 
same spot gives the contrast no less marked and im- 
pressive, in blackness on one side, and silver on the 

other." 

The Crawford House 

is a large edifice, very commodious and agreeable for a 
summer hotel. There are pleasant piazzas on the out- 
side ; and fine halls, much used in the evening for prom- 
enading, run the entire length of the house within. 
The parlor is large and well furnished ; the dining-room 
ample in its proportions, and its table always well sup- 
plied. There are a post-office, telegraph, and barber-shop 
in the house. The lodging-rooms of the house are well 
furnished and pleasant, especially those which have win- 
dows towards the Notch. Connected with the hotel are 
a bowling-alley for rainy-day and evening amusement, 
and extensive stables, furnished with a large number of 
horses, to be used either under the saddle or in car- 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 79 

riages for the delightful rides in this vicinity. This 
hotel is now owned by Messrs. A. T. & O. F. Barron, 
who are also the proprietors of the Twin-Mountain 
House, and is under the immediate charge of Mr. 
Merrill. The hotel is lighted with gas. The reputa- 
tion gained by the Twin-Mountain House will be fully 
sustained here ; while the guests of the house will also 
find that the standard of excellence, which has long 
characterized the " Notch House," has not been lost 
sight of. A more cheerful and pleasant resting-place 
cannot be found in the mountain tour, and visitors 
will find it agreeable to spend a few days in exploring 
the beauties of the neiiihborhood. 

The Plateau. 

"VVe are now in the midst of a little plateau, about 
two thousand feet above the sea. It is the highest 
point of the valley, and the water flows from it in both 
directions, the spring near the house discharging its 
contents down through the Notch into the Saco, and 
that at the stables emptying itself into a tributary of 
the Ammonoosuc, and reaching the sea through the 
Connecticut. In front of the house there is a beautiful 
fountain, and farther on, a tiny lake, which forms the 
head waters of the Saco. Down near the gate of the 
Notch, on the left hand, are the ruins of the old Notch 
House. This was erected by Ethan Allen Crawford 
and his father, and kept for a public house by Thomas 
J. Crawford, a brother of Ethan. Many a thrilling 
tale is narrated of the adventures of the early guests 
at this house who attempted to ascend the mountains 

6 



80 



WHITE MOUJ\rTAIJr GUIDE. 



under the guidance of tlie Crawfords, or sometimes 
even without guides. The appearance of the Notch 
House is familiar to almost every one, from its having 






WHITE MOUNTAIN NOTCH. 



been pictured so often in our common school books. 
It was the largest house of the region for a long time 
after it was built, and the upper story projected over 
the arch-topped sheds below in a peculiar manner. 
After the Crawford House Avas erected, the building 
was used for lodging the supernumeraries, who could 
not iind quarters in the large hotel. 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 81 

We must suppose that every one, no matter by what 
route he has come, will do what Mr, King advises, — • 
go down through the Notch to enjoy the views of which 
he speaks. At the end of the steep descent is 

The Willey House. 

This edifice was the scene of the disaster which caused 
the loss of the Willey family. Only the northern por- 
tion of the present building was standing at that time, 
the other part having been added since. It was erected 
by a Mr. Hill, for a public-house, not far from 1820. 
Previous to this period, there was no habitation between 
the Old Crawford House and the Rosebrooks', a distance 
of thirteen miles. After occupying the house for a few 
years, Mr. Hill left it ; and it stood empty for several 
months. At last, in the autumn of 1825, Mr. Willey 
moved in with his family, and passed the ensuing winter 
very comfortably. In the June following, however, there 
was a slide from the mountain, which somewhat terrified 
them, but did them no permanent injury. On the night 
of Aug. 28, 1826, a violent tempest raged about the 
Notch, and a vast amount of soil and of rocks on Wil- 
ley Mountain was precipitated into the valley below, 
overwhelming the whole family, consisting of Mr. Wil- 
ley, his wife, five children, and two hired men. Mr. 
Willey, anticipating a slide, had built for himself a 
shelter farther down the valley, in what he supposed 
would be a safe place for refuge. It is supposed that 
the family were endeavoring to reach this place when 
they were overtaken by the slide. The house itself was 



82 WHITE MOUJ^TAIJ\r OUIDE. 

not injured, though the cabin, which it is possible they 
reached, was carried away. A pile of stones alone 
marks the place where the bodies of most of them 
were found. The father, mother, and two children 
rest in the burial place of the family, near the bound- 
ary of Bartlett and Conway. The house was desert- 
ed for a year after this event ; but at last a family 
named Pendexter moved in, and it has been generally 
occupied since that period. Of late years it has be- 
come important as a show-place, twelve and a half 
cents being charged for showing each person through 
the house. There is, however, nothing within the ru- 
inous edifice of sufficient interest to warrant even this 
trifling expenditure. In the rear is seen the great rock, 
once thirty feet high, which separated the slide, and 
thus saved the house. The top of it is now almost 
level with the ground around it, and a pole thirty feet 
high has been erected close by, to assist tlie inexpe- 
rienced mind in forming a correct conception of the 
former height of the rock. So kindly is sight-seeing 
here made easy for beginners. From the top of the 
rock, a beautiful path, quite the most attractive ele- 
ment of the scene, winds among the birches on the 
slide, far up the mountain. In front of the house is 
still standing the ruin of the stable, which was half 
demolished by the avalanche. Before remounting the 
coach, you should not fail to drink some of the excel- 
lent water to be found at the upper end of the piazza. 

It is sometimes wondered that any one dares to 
inhabit so perilous a spot as this ; but it must not be 



WHITE MOUJSTTAIJf GUIDE. 83 

forgotten that the side of Willey is now so bare, that 
there seems nothing more to come down but the solid 
rock of the mountain. On the opposite side of the 
river, however, Mt. Webster rises, apparently perpen- 
dicular, to the height of 2,000 feet above the valley, 
and almost threatens to overwhelm it. In every tem- 
pest the inhabitants of the Willey House hear the enor- 
mous rocks crashing down its precipitous sides, with 
the sound of thunder, while lightnings play about its 
awful brow. But there is in reality no danger. 

The Head of the Notch. 

After leaving the AYilley House, the road winds up 
the narrow ravine for about three miles, ever and anon 
crossing the rushing stream, and bending around pro- 
jecting rocks. This part of the trip is generally per- 
formed at the close of the day, when the lengthened 
shadows add a gloomy grandeur to the scene. Shut 
in by dismal walls 2,000 feet high, our hearts sink 
within us with a feeling of utter insignificance. The 
steep sides of Willey Mountain are diversified by tier 
above tier of wand-like white birches, the stems being 
peculiarly apparent on account of the steepness of the 
mouutain. At the top of this mountain, on a sort of 
plateau, is a little lake called Ethan's Pond. Near 
as this is to the Saco, it yet finds its outlet towards 
the south-west into the Pemigewasset, and so into the 
Merrimack. On each side, far above our heads, little 
torrents come pouring down over the rocks in cas- 
cades, which will be examined more at our leisure^ 



84 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

These may be visited on the return trip, or on the way 
down the Notch. As many will walk thus far down the 
Notch who would not care to go as far as the Willey 
House, we will speak first of those nearer the hotel. On 
the way to the Notch, Idlewild is passed on the east 
shore of the little pond, where a portion of the forest 
has been made very attractive by means of paths and 
seats, so placed as to command fine views. Passing 
throuQ^h the eate of the Notch, you soon come to the 
profiles of the "Old Maid," the "Infant," and the 
" Young Man," pointed out by convenient signboards. 
Here, also, is the overhanging rock called the " Devil's 
Pulpit." About three-fourths of a mile from the hotel is 

The Flume. 

The part of the little mountain stream, which here 
is crossed by a small bridge, derives its name from the 
narrow and deep gorge through which the w^aters rush 
with great rapidity. The chasm, like many others in 
the mountains, though doubtless formed by some con- 
vulsion of Nature, seems chiselled out of the solid rock. 
Where the rivulet descends from the mountain side 
above, there is a fall of some two or three hundred 
feet, and on the opposite side you can still hear, though 
you cannot see, the water rushing down still farther 
to join the current of the Saco, Avhich winds its way 
through the whole length of the Notch. You may be 
tempted to an exploration, but your path, though not 
dangerous, will be very difficult. 

A little distance farther down the Notch you will 



WHITE MOUJVTjlIJ\r OUiDE. 85 

come to the most beautiful of all the falls on this side 
of the mountain, the 

Silver Cascade. 
This is also sometimes called the Second Flume, 
from a similar formation, immediately beneath the 
bridge, to the one already described. But its chief 
charm is in the perpendicular descent of water for a 
distance of almost four hundred feet. As you stand 
on the piazza of the hotel, you see this same stream 
far up the mountain, full a mile distant, leaping over 
the rocks and flashing in the sunlight like a silvered 
pinnacle of some mountain shrine. But as you stand 
on the bridge, or at the very base of the ftiU, which 
you can reach with care, the water seems pouring 
over the edge of the precipice. Just after a heavy 
rain the huge rock, wdiicli just below the summit 
usually divides the current, is almost entirely con- 
cealed by the spray. Like the most of mountain falls, 
it rather glides over the surface of the ledge than leaps 
in a clear, unbroken sheet from the summit to the base. 
At first the water is diffused over a broad surface, and 
in times of a drought is divided into several small 
streams. Before it reaches the base, however, all 
the water is compressed into a very narrow channel. 
Then, hurrying along over a comparatively level bed, 
it again, as it reaches the bridge, plunges down a dis- 
tance of some twenty feet, and, driving through the 
flume, disappears among the bushes on the opposite 
side of the road. There is, perhaps, no place on this 



86 WHITE Mouj\rTJiiJ\r guide. 

side of the mountains which so enchains one by its 
loveliness as the iSilver Cascade. You may spend 
hours around it, and yet long to return to its solitary 
beauty. The very height of the mountains, rising al- 
most perpendicularly on each side of you, causes you 
to feel the impressiveness and power of the rushing 
torrent. These cascades will appear to particular ad- 
vantage, if you are fortunate enough to walk down 
into the Notch on a moonlight evening. Carriages, 
also, often leave the Crawford House on other excur- 
sions, such as to the Willey House, and to Ammonoosuc 
Falls, which Avill be described below. The fare to these 
falls, when a carriage is sent for the purpose, is fifty 
cents for each passenger. 

Sparkling Cascade and Sylvan Glade Cataract. 

Mr. King, in his admirable " White Hills," speaks 
of these falls as follows : — 

" But a more wild and beautiful waterfall than any 
hitherto seen on the western side of the mountains was 
discovered at Mount Willey, in September, 1858, by 
Mr. Ripley of North Conway, and Mr. Porter of New 
York. An old fisherman had reported, at the Craw- 
ford House, that he had once seen a wonderful cascade 
on a streamlet that pours down that mountain and 
empties into the Saco below the Willey House. These 
gentlemen drove through the Notch to the second bridge 
below the Willey House, which crosses a stream with 
the unpoetical name of Cow Brook, and followed up 
the rivulet into the wild forest. An ascent of nearly 



WHITE MOUJVTjilJ^ GUIDE. 87 

two miles revealed to them the object of their search, 
enclosed between the granite walls of a very steep 
ravine, whose cliifs, crowned with a dense forest of 
spruce, are singularly grand. They saAV the cascade 
leaping first over four rocky stairways, each of them 
about six feet lii<»;h, and then o-lidino; at an anijle of 
forty-five degrees, a hundred and fifty feet, with many 
graceful curves, down a solid bed of granite into the 
pool below. The cascade is about seventy-five feet 
wide at the base, and fifty at the summit. 

" Exploring the stream nearly a mile higher, other 
falls were discovered, each one deserving especial no- 
tice, and one or two of most rare beauty. The finest 
of these upper falls was christened, we believe, by the 
discoverer, the ' Sparkling Cascade,' and the larger one 
below, the ' Sylvan Glade Cataract.' The brook itself 
has been named since in honor of Mr. Ripley, and the 
ravine, of Mr. Porter. We hope, however, that the 
name ' Avalanche Brook,' which we believe the ex- 
plorers first gave to it, may be the permanent title 
of the stream, since it flows near the track of the fatal 
land slide of 1826, and that Mr. Ripley's name may 
be transferred to the cataract. 

" Mr. Champney, who visited the falls about a fort- 
night after their discovery, is inclined to ascribe to them 
a nobler beauty than any other thus far known among 
the mountains. He describes the picturesque rock- 
forms as wonderful, and their richness in color and 
making, in mosses and lichens, as more admirable than 
any others he has had the privilege of studying in the 



88 WHITE MOUJVTAIJT GUIDE. 

mountain region. And this cascade is only a sample, 
probably, of the imcelebrated beauties in the wilder- 
ness around the White Hills." 

GiBBs's Falls. 
There is near the Crawford House a series of cas- 
cades which are well worthy the attention of the tour- 
ist. By entering the woods near the stables of the 
Crawford House, and following tlie aqueduct which 
supplies the hotel with water, the traveller soon reaches 
a brook which presents a succession of falls that in 
romantic loveliness are inferior to none in the White or 
Franconia Mountains. To the most striking of these 
the name of one of the landlords of the Crawford 
House has been given. Gibbs's Falls is about a quar- 
ter of a mile from the point at which the aqueduct 
issues from the brook, and is easily accessible in half an 
hour's walk from the hotel. The water at this point 
makes an abrupt descent of thirty or forty feet in two 
distinct sheets, which are separated by a projecting/ 
cliff draped in a scanty verdure of lichens and mosses, 
and crowned by a single monster pine. The contrast 
between the emerald greenness of the projecting islet 
and the foaming torrents which encompass it on either 
hand is picturesque in the extreme, and these hitherto 
nameless falls are well worthy the attention of the artist 
and the lover of nature. 

The vicinity of the Crawford House presents no more 

pleasing or satisfactory excursion than the far and justly 

famed ascent of 



WHITE MOUJSTTjIIJV GUIDE. 89 

Mt. Willard. 
This mountain is easily ascended, to the very sum- 
mit, in carriages, which are furnished for the excursion 
at a reasonable rate, while those who prefer to make 
the ascent on foot will find the walk, through groves 
of maple and mountain ash, pleasant, and by no means 
fati":uiui2:. Were the ascent less attractive in other 
respects, the ease and safety with which it can be 
made, even by an invalid, must render Mt. Willard a 
favorite ; but it is very generally conceded by tourists, 
that the view from the summit of this mountain affords 
more pleasure than that from its more pretentious 
neighbors. By a gradual ascent, over heavily-wooded 
slopes, you reach an elevation of more than two thou- 
sand feet above the Crawford House, and stand upon a 
little plateau, which is broken by the precipitous south- 
ern front of the mountain, and thickly strewn with 
delicate and beautiful mountain harebells. Directly in 
front, at your very feet as you emerge from the scanty 
and stunted growth which marks the approach to the 
summit, lies the Notch — then only fully felt when, 
after having gazed upward from its gloomy fastnesses 
at the massive barriers which hem you in, you learn 
from this standpoint how well its grandeur and mag- 
nificence will bear calmer and more protracted scrutiny. 
Here you catch at a glance the conformation of tlie 
entire valley. You can trace the carriage road wind- 
ing like a ribbon down through the wooded pass. In 
the distance lies the Willey House, above which 



90 WHITE MOU^TTAIJV GUIDE. 

" Winds underground or waters forcing way 
Sidelong have forced a mountain frona his seat, 
Half-sunk with all his pines," — 

while on every hand are indications that such a catas- 
trophe as overwhelmed its inmates is not even now 
impossible. Down the rugged face of the mountains 
to your left, across the Notch, can be traced innumera- 
ble cascades, glistening in the sunshine, and assuming 
each moment some new phase of wonderful and varied 
beauty, where 

" Like a downward smoke, the slender stream, 
Along the cliff to fall, and pause, and fall doth seem." 

Far above, tower those more noted and eagerly wel- 
comed peaks, which envious hills and forests snatch 
from the gazer below. The Avhole landscape, seen 
" through varying lights and shadows," is perhaps as 
attractive and Avinning as any thing in the vicinity of 
the Crawford House. 

Of this view. Bayard Taylor speaks as follows, as 
he saw it upon a recent visit ; — 

'' The effect was magical. The sky had, in the 
mean time, partially cleared, and patches of sunny gold 
lay upon the dark mountains. Under our feet yawned 
the tremendous gulf of the Notch, roofed with belts 
of cloud, which floated across from summit to summit 
nearly at our level ; so that we stood, as in the organ- 
loft of some grand cathedral, looking down into its 
dim nave. At the farther end, over the fading lines 
of some nameless mountains, stood Chocorua, purple 
with distance, terminating the majestic vista. It was 



WHITE MOUJVTjilJSr GUIDE. 91 

a picture ■which the eye could take in at one glace ; 
no landscape could be more simple or more sublime. 
The noise of a cataract to our right, high up on 
Mount Willey, filled the air with a far, sweet fluctuat- 
ing murmur, but all round us the woods were still, 
the harebells bloomed, and the sunshine lay warm 
upon the granite. 

"I had never heard this view particularly celebrated, 
and was therefore the more impressed by its wonderful 
beauty. As a simple picture of a mountain pass, seen 
from above, it cannot be surpassed in Switzerland. 
Something like it I have seen in the Taurus, otherwise 
I can recall no view with which to compare it. A por- 
tion of the effect, of course, depends on the illumina- 
tion, but no traveller who sees it on a day of mingled 
cloud and sunshine will be disappointed." 

The Devil's Den. 
Near the summit of Mt. Willard, on the southern 
side, is the remarkable cavern called the " Devil's 
Den," whose black mouth was distinctly visible in 
coming up the Notch. This cavern, which is only 
accessible by means of ropes, was explored, in 1856, 
by Dr. Ball of Boston, who secured as trophies of 
his exploration two hawk's feathers, and effectually 
dissipated the impression that the cavern was of im- 
mense extent, and frequented through another entrance 
by beasts of prey. The Den proved to be only about 
twenty feet wide, fifteen feet high, and twenty deep, 
and so cold and damp that not even the birds take 



92 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

refuge in it. The story of its previous exploration by 
one of tlie Crawfords, who discovered large quantities 
of bones and the usual accessories of all fomous cav- 
erns, must be a myth. This cave can be seen from the 
Notch road. 

Hitchcock's Flume 

is also on the side of Mt. Willard. A path has 
been opened to it from the carriage-road. It was dis- 
covered by Professor Hitchcock, and has received his 
name. " It is 350 feet long, seven feet wide at the top, 
varying to six, ten, five, and finally eight feet. It is 
everywhere widest at the top. The walls are generally 
vertical, the south wall occasionally hanging slightly 
over a perpendicular. I judge that portions of this 
wall rise 100 feet above the floor: usually they will 
not exceed half this amount. The top rises 220 feet 
above the lower opening, the latter being 580 feet above 
the railroad beneath." 

Beecher's Falls 

is also one of the attractions of the Notch. An easy 
path through the woods to the right of the hotel leads 
one to a mountain-brook, which, even in the dryest sea- 
son, is well filled with pure mountain-water. On this 
brook, for a third of a mile, will be found a series of 
delightful cascades, not excelled for beauty in the whole 
range of mountain-travel. At the head of the upper- 
most fall, called the Flume Cascade, on the broad shelv- 
ing rocks, a full view of the summit of Mt. Washington 
is to be had, which will well repay one for the ascent, 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 93 

which is by no means difficult. The Falls are named 
for Rev. H. W. Beecher of Brooklyn, N. Y., who is said 
to have taken an involuntary bath in one of the basins 
at the foot of a cascade. 

The mountain, in the same direction from the hotel as 
the Falls, whose summit has been disclosed by cutting 
away the trees of the hill near the house, has been 
named Mt. Field by Mr. Hitchcock. 

The Crawford Bridle-Path 

is not now used, except for foot-passengers. It is ten 
miles long, and passes over the summits of Mt. Clinton, 
Mt. Pleasant, Mt. Franklin, and Mt. Monroe, before 
reaching Mt. Washington. The path, for the greater 
part of the way, is well marked ; but as fogs are liable 
to come up suddenly, and as persons have lost their way 
on these mountains, it cannot be considered safe for one 
not thoroughly acquainted with it to attempt it without 
a guide. One who has the strength to go through with 
so laborious a day will find his exertions well repaid 
by the fine views afforded by the trip. 

The ascent of Mt. Washington is now made by the 
railway. Though the branch road up the Ammonoosuc 
Valley diverges at the Fabyan House, which is the point 
of immediate departure, the trip may also be made from 
the Crawford House without inconvenience. Trains 
run between the Fabyan and Crawford Houses (four 
miles) to connect with the trains up and down Mt. 
Washington ; so that one now starts at almost the same 
time from either hotel. 



94 white mountain guide. 

Mt. Pleasant. 

The view from Mt. Pleasant is so fine, that it is to be 
greatly regretted that the bridle-path is not kept up to 
this point, even if no farther. 

The great advantage of this route to the summit of 
Mount Washington consists in the passage over sepa- 
rate mountain peaks, from each of which views of 
great beauty are obtained. It often happens, too, that 
when the summit of Washington is wrapped in an 
impenetrable mantle of mist, these lower summits, and 
all the surrounding landscape, are in clear light, and 
often, indeed, bathed in sunshine. When this is the 
case, those who ascend by this route have the pleasure 
of enjoying the peculiar excitement of standing on the 
clear mountain top. Neither should one regret an 
occasional cloud or shower. No mountain effect can 
be finer than that produced by the dense masses of 
boiling vapor, as they gather in the valleys, now all on 
fire from the rays of the sun, shading oif into golden 
tints, and now a dark sombre gray, needing only a 
little less light to become the " I'aer perso" of Dante's 
Inferno, slowly yet steadily rolling up the mountain 
side, concealing the depths of the ravine, and at last 
enveloping you with its penetrating moisture. Then 
the mist leaves you as suddenly as it came, and opens 
to your vision an abyss yawning at your very feet and 
reaching to the mountain's base. Such sights as these 
are ample compensation for the passing shower. Then 
at another time, both here and on the summit, you 
may often see the light fleecy clouds floating about the 



WHITE MOUJ\rTjllJ\r GUIDE. 95 

ravines, climbing the slopes, or hurrying over the val- 
leys, casting long shadows over the green mountain 
sides, and spotting the fields with u deeper color. We 
shall see these clouds 

"Lie couched around us like a flock of sheep," 

when the haze has been swept from the horizon, imme- 
diately after a rain-storm. This is unquestionably the 
pleasantest time to ascend the mountains. 

The way to Mt. Pleasant lies over Mt. CHnton, up 
which the old path winds immediately on entering the 
woods opposite the hotel. 

The path lies a little to the north of the summit of 
Mt. Clinton, and as we wind around it over the bare 
rocks, the first noble mountain view bursts upon our 
sight. Almost directly before us, towards the east, is 
the conical summit of Kiarsarge, and apparently near 
it some little silver lakes, with a blue setting of many 
mountains ; and behind we can discern Willard, and the 
other mountains around the Notch, mottled here and 
there with the shadoAvs of passings clouds. 

As we begin to descend to the narrow ridge, which 
joins this mountain to the next, we gain a view of the 
nearer objects beneath us. On the right, at a depth 
of 2,000 feet, is a vast forest, through which winds 
the Mt. Washington River, and beyond is a long range 
of giant hills, which, like these we are on, seem march- 
ing in solemn procession towards the great central 
shrine. On the left, at a similar depth, the Ammonoo- 
suc is seen threading the forest, and at last finding its 
way to the open country in the distance. The first ex- 
perience of real mountain travel is gained as we slide 



96 



WHITE MOUNTAIJSr GUIDE. 



down the rocks, and wind alonor the bleak rido^e which 
connects Mt. Clinton with Mt. Pleasant, up whose 
rounded top the ascent, though steep, is not long. The 
whole mountain region of New Hampshire is about 
forty miles square ; but the name, " AVhite Mountains,'* 
is sometimes applied, for the sake of distinction, only to 
this particular group, of which Mt. Washington is the 
culminating point. The following list gives the name 
and height of each mountain of the range, in its order, 



commencing at the Notch : — 



Mt. Webster, 
Mt. Jackson, 
Mt. Clinton, 
Mt. Pleasant, 
Mt. Franklin, 
Mt. Monroe, 



4,000 ft. 

4,100 " 

4,200 " 

4,800 " 

4,900 " 

5,400 " 



Mt. Washington, 6,285 ft. 
Mt. Clay, 5,400 " 

Mt. Jefferson, 5,700 " 
Mt. Adams, 5,800 " 

Mt. Madison, 5,400 " 



One of the Indian names of these mountains -was 
" Agiocochook," which signifies " the place of the 
Spirit of the Great Forest," or, according to Judge 
Potter, " the place of the Storm Spirit," and another, 
" Waumbekketmethna," alluding to the ivliiteness of 
the mountains. The distinctive title of " White " has 
always been applied to them on account of their peaks 
being white with snow during ten months of the year. 

Even in July and August the bare rocks have a 
grayish cast, when seen from a distance, which almost 
entitles them to the name of white. These noble hills 
were first visited in 1732, by a man named Darby 
Field. 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 97 

The view from Mt. Pleasant is very extended. It is 
sufficiently high to place the beholder above all the 
lower peaks, which in the valleys so often limit the field 
of view ; and yet it is sufficiently remote and below the 
summit of Washington to enable one to appreciate its 
grandeur. The view to the south-east is extremely 
grand ; while to the north lies the Valley of the Am- 
monoosuc, with its attendant ranges. 

Franklin and Monroe, with the fiimous Oake's Gulf, 
lie between Pleasant and Washington. 

Geology of the Mountains. 

A geological survey of the State has been in progress, 
under the direction of Professor C H. Hitchcock, since 
1868. One volume of the final report has already been 
published, and the second is now in press. From the 
chapter on the Geology of -the White Mountains, in the 
second volume, we take a few points which will be of 
general interest ; presuming that persons wishing a more 
thorough acquaintance with the views of the State ge- 
ologist will seek it in the volumes themselves, which 
are for sale by the publisher of this Guide. 

The rocks of which the mountains are composed are 
nearly all what are generally classed by the ordinary 
observer as granite. Yet, to the geologist, there is com- 
paratively little of the pure granite. The mass of the 
rock is some form of gneiss, or a conglomerate called by 
Professor Hitchcock Franconia breccia, composed of the 
same general constituents as the granite or gneiss. 
Some of the rocks are porphyritic, this term indicating 
that some of the elements are in a crystalline form. 



98 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

Feldspar, in its amorphous or crystalline state, — some- 
times coarse and sometimes fine, and then again consti- 
tuting the parts which hold together the other elements 
of the Francouia breccia, — is an important element 
in these rocks. Of the flesh-colored feldspar, potash is 
an important part. This is slowly dissolved on exposure 
to the air, and causes the crumbling or decay of the 
rocks, which is so common as to attract the attention of 
the most casual observer. In Labradorite, this potash 
of the feldspar is replaced by soda and lime. 

Mr. Hitchcock gives the following as his idea of 
the order in wliich this region was formed : " First, the 
Laureutian, represented by porphyritic gneiss and the 
Bethlehem group. Second, the Atlantic, consisting of 
the Lake or Berlin and Montalban gneisses and the 
Franconia breccia. Third, the Labrador. Fourth, the 
Huronian. Fifth, the Merrimack schists. Sixth, the An- 
dalusite schist group. Seventh, eruptions of porphyry. 
Eighth, eruptions of the Conway, Albany, and Chocorua 
granites and sienites. Ninth, the formation of the Mt. 
Pequawket or Mt. Mote porphyritic breccia." 

This theory of formation Professor Hitchcock ex- 
plains and illustrates by reference to different parts of 
the mountains, wdiich would be out of place here. His 
explanation of the formation of the Notch, however, 
will answer a query, which doubtless rises in the mind 
of many, even if not asked. 

Speaking of the Butterwort and Hitchcock Flumes 
on Mt. Willard, he calls attention to the fact that the 
chasm seems to point to the silver cascade on the op- 
posite side of the valley. The manner in which the 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 99 

flumes are formed by the erosion or decay of trap-rock 
will be explained hereafter, the theory of which is ap- 
plicable to these flumes. He then adds : " It may be 
proper here to state that this dike may once have been 
continuous from Mt. Willard across the valley to Mt. 
Webster, through the flume and cascade, at the level of 
the higher land. At the time of the ejection of the 
trap, the liquid would have flowed out at the bottom of 
the valley, and not have reached the summits of the 
mountains, unless the. whole space between were filled 
up to the brim : therefore the ledge must have been 
continuous from summit to summit. It would seem to 
follow in like manner, from the occurrence of numerous 
dikes in Mt. Webster, that the whole of this Notch 
valley was once filled with solid rock. The immense 
depth of this remarkable gorge, from the Gate to Saw- 
yer's Rock, has all been excavated out of solid material 
by aqueous and glacial agencies, acting constantly since 
the beginning of the palasozoic time. Possibly its 
course has been determined by fractures induced dur- 
ino; the foldinor of the strata." 

How the flumes were formed is best told in Professor 
Hitchcock's account of the Franconia Flume : " It is a 
chasm excavated out of the Conway granite. . . . On 
the right hand are the natural walls or joints which cut 
vertically across these rocks all over the mountains. 
On the left are fainter lines, nearly horizontal, which 
illustrate the common position of another set of joints, 
possibly corresponding with the layers of accumulation." 
The bowlder is of Franconia breccia, and probably came 
from Eagle Cliff, four miles away, in the glacial period. 



100 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

It was transferred by ice, and most likely arrived before 
the formation of the Flume. On following up the 
stream, one comes to a trap dike consisting of two sorts 
of material, — the outer, the ordinary dark rock com- 
mon to this neighborhood ; the inner, a gray, friable 
mass ; both, perhaps, twenty-four to thirty inches wide. 
The occurrence of this dike at once explains the origin 
of the chasm. The running water wears away the 
light-colored trap. Then water, percolating the vertical 
joints back of the eroded space, freezes in the cold 
weather, and, by the consequent expansion, pushes a 
mass of rock inwardly till it falls into the stream. Dur- 
ing the warmer months, the water is busily engaged in 
pulverizing the bowlders, assisted by chemical reagents, 
or the removal of the potash of the feldspar by solution. 
As soon as there is space for the further action of freez- 
ing in the joints, other masses of granite are overthrown 
and worn away till Nature has succeeded in manufac- 
turing the completed flume. There are, on the right, 
the remnants of some of the vertical sheets not entirely 
broken down. It is likely that the regularity or paral- 
lelism of the walls has been perfected by the action of 
the dike upon the rock when in the formative condition.'* 
While it is not possible to give the formation of all 
parts of the mountains, it may be of interest to note the 
succession of rocks, in ascending Mt. Washington, as 
laid down by Professor Hitchcock. He starts at the toll- 
gate on the carriage-road, directly back of which is a 
ledge of greenish, somewhat friable quartzite. About 
three-fourths of a mile up is a face gneissic rock, upon 
which glacial strice are obscurely indicated. At the 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 101 

first mile-post the strata are also gneissic with granitic 
veins. A small hill on the north-east side is coarse 
granite, with large crystals of black tourmaline. Before 
reaching the second mile-post are ferruginous schist, 
slate interstratified with beds of granite, and, at a sharp 
angle in the road, minute undulations in the strata, with 
the rocks mica schist, six feet thickness of granite, and 
compact quartzite. At the second mile-post is a massive 
Andalusite rock. Before reaching the third post is a 
ledge of " argillo-mica schist, quite evenly bedded, well 
filled with crystals of Andalusite, and of the ordinary 
slate color. The small curvatures in them are endless, 
and almost baffle all attempts at description. They re- 
semble billows in the ocean, each three or four feet high ; 
and the positions of their crests and hollows are easily 
detected. There is one special feature among them of 
importance ; viz., that after a succession of them, for forty, 
fifty, a hundred feet, or more, are noted, their lower side 
disappears by plunging vertically into the mountain, and 
another series of curves with the vertical or westward 
dip takes their place. There are few places in New 
Hampshire where these curious phenomena of curves 
can be observed to better advantage than alonof this 
carriage-road." These undulations and variations in the 
dip continue a long distance. The rock, from a short 
distance above the trees to the summit, is the " Andalu- 
site mica schist of the Mantalban series." From the 
summit, towards the Lake of the Clouds, " one walks 
over immense piles of angular fragments separated from 
the ledges by internal refrigeration." 

There is a remarkable slide on the side of Tripyramid 



102 WRITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

Mountain, which is always a marked object to those who 
pass through the Pemigewasset Valley. The account 
of this slide may shed some light on similar occurrences 
elsewhere. 

"The notable storm, ending Oct. 4, 1869, gave rise 
to a remarkable freshet upon the south-western slope of 
the most southern of these pyramids. The mountain- 
side seems to have been covered by spruces growing 
above loose blocks, carpeted abundantly with moss, very 
much as is common all over the White Hills wherever 
the climate permits temperate vegetation to flourish. 
No valley furrowed the slope; and it seems difficult to 
understand why the waters should have accumulated so 
enormously at this point, and nowhere else in the neigh- 
hood, if we may judge by the effect produced, especially 
since the bare mountain-side exposed at this time has 
rendered the area conspicuous as a landmark fifty miles 
away. Clouds are sometimes said to 'burst,' when their 
contents are poured very quickly into some limited area, 
most usually when a tornado or rapidly-formed nimbus 
flits by ; and something of that nature, though not ap- 
proved by the best meteorologists, will best explain the 
phenomena displayed in Waterville during this never- 
to-be-forgotten storm. 

" The sliding commenced about forty rods from the 
summit, a little one side of the highest point. The 
beginning of the bare earth is only a rod in width. 
The breadth increases gradually for fifty or sixty rods. 
For the following seventy rods down hill it widens 
rapidly, attaining, at one hundred and thirty rods' dis- 
tance, a width of twenty-five or thirty rods. Thirty-six 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 103 

rods lower, the breadth is seventeen rods. The course 
is nearly straight to this point, — one hundred and sixty 
rods, — when it begins to curve towards the north-west, 
instead of continuing south-westerly; and eighty rods 
below is what Professor Perkins regarded as a termina- 
tion of the slide. The waters excavated a gorge through 
the bowlder-clay or hard-pan of the country, after pass- 
ing the elbow, often twenty-6ve feet deep, the material 
beinor almost as firm as solid rock. The whole course 
thus far mentioned is 246 rods, of a general fusiform 
outline, with the lower end curved to one side. The 
inclination of the debris is often as much as forty-five 
degrees, perhaps higher for a dozen yards, and generally 
somewhat less. The underlying ledges appear in two 
or three places, but do not exhibit any marks or 
scratches made by the sliding mass. 

" The curve at the bottom of the hill is nearly a right 
angle, and was determined by the configuration of the 
land ; for, directly in the way of the slip, there is a low 
ridge covered by the universal forest. Were the phenom- 
enon a true slide, the materials would have been arrested 
by this obstacle. But no more earth lies before this 
obstruction than along any part of the two or three 
miles' distance of the steepest descent below. The for- 
est must, therefore, have been torn up by a prodigious 
freshet, — trees, earth, and rock-fragments mingling 
with the water, as if all a liquid mass, winding through 
the curved valley of a stream, and excavating a deeper 
channel below the turn in its direction." The current 
descended for nearly two miles below the elbow. 

The first dry land in the State (Hitchcock's Report, 
vol. i. p. 512) consisted of narrow islands of sand and 



104 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

clay extending north and south. These islands were 
changed, by the action of steam, heat, and chemical 
agents, into phosphoritic granite and gneiss. Following 
this was deposited the gneiss in its various forms over 
an area of two-thirds the present State limits. These 
rocks have a general north-east and south-west course, 
and are adjacent to the areas of first dry land. The 
gneiss, deficient in feldspar and containing crystals of 
Audalusite, which characterizes the most of the summits, 
belongs here, as well as the Franconia breccia. In this 
period came the greatest period of disturbance and ele- 
vation. " The force of elevation is a lateral one." " Our 
theory supposes the existence of a mighty force acting 
laterally along the whole length of the Atlantic forma- 
tion, from Canada to Alabama. The power displayed 
is great enough to shove along the thick horizontal 
sheet of sediments, and, where the substratum is firm, 
to fold up a mountain-range resting upon durable foun- 
dations." By metamorphisra, these sediments were con- 
verted into rock at about the time of the elevation. 
Subsequently came the eruption of igneous rock. 
" From the Crawford House to Mt. Lafayette, and 
from the White Mountain House to Mt. Whiteface, and 
from Franconia to Conway, the country was flooded. 
Were there ships of steel, they might have floated on 
this liquid lake ; for the surface was as level as the 
ocean." This overflow was granite. The next periods 
wei'e active chiefly outside of the White Mountain area 
till the glacial, when the climate was like that of Green- 
land, and when the ice covered all the summits except 
Mt. Washington. The glacial action scidpturod the 
surface of the earth into its present form. 



white mountain guide. 105 

The Fabyan House 

is situated on the site of the Giant's Grave, which was 
levelled to make room for the hotel. The Giant's 
Grave was a gravel mound, 300 feet long and 50 feet 
high, probably formed during the drift period. This 
locality has always been a favorite spot. Commanding 
an exquisite view of Mt. Washington and the attendant 
ranges, with the Aramonoosuc Valley in the foreground 
reaching to the very base of the loftiest peak, it nat- 
urally suggested the easiest, or at least the shortest, ap- 
proach to the highest summit. The three earlier hotels 
here were destroyed by fire ; and hence, doubtless, the 
tradition current years ago, that an Indian curse would 
prevent a permanent white settlement. At a short dis- 
tance from the house is the Crawford burial lot. 

The Fabyan House is a new, spacious hotel, with 
rooms for about five hundred guests. The proprietors 
are Messrs. Lindsay and French, who, like all the suc- 
cessful landlords in the mountains, have long been iden- 
tified with the region. The dining-room is 130 by 45 
feet; the parlor, 100 by 35 feet. The entrance hall is a 
large square room, which in summer presents a busy 
scene. The hotel has the usual conveniences of barber- 
shop, telegraph, post-office, and book-stand. The price 
is 14.50 per day, with a considerable reduction for board 
by the week. 

The Mount Pleasant House 

is a new hotel, 40 by 80 feet, three stories, situated about 
one-third of a mile from the Fabyan, towards the Notch. 
It will accommodate about fifty guests. The price will 
be $2.50 per day. 



106 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

A good road leads from here to the Notch. As the 
distance is only five miles, all the objects of interest in 
that locality can be visited with Fabyan's as headquar- 
ters. A favorite walk for guests of the house is to 
ascend a spur of Mt. Deception, which, though suffi- 
ciently fatiguing for one not accustomed to mountain- 
climbing, is by no means diificult. The view from the 
summit, though not remarkable for the region, is still 
excellent. 

The Upper Ammonoosuc Falls 

are well worth a visit. A drive of about three miles 
over the turnpike-road that leads to Marshfield will take 
you to them. It is a scene of exquisite beauty. The 
river, confined within narrow gorges, seems to have 
broken through the rock with the utmost violence : with 
a zigzag course it continues its way, wearing the foamy 
whiteness of its boiling waves as a conqueror his well- 
earned crown. The perpendicular walls of granite 
stand on either side at ditFerent heights, as though to 
guard this scene of beauty from unwarrantable intrusion. 
At some remote period, the river must have flowed 
at a higher level than at present. Large " pot-holes," 
six or eight feet in diameter, may be found several 
feet above the present current, and many smaller ones 
upon the surface of the upper rocks. In one of the 
largest may be counted, growing as though in a dimin- 
utive parterre, seven or eight different species of vege- 
tation. The rock has been hollowed out w^th chiselled 
precision, the soil has gradually accumulated, the seeds 
have been wafted from various localities, and now the 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 107 

plants, having germinated and grown in their circular, 
rock-environed garden, furnish another, out of num- 
berless indications of the faithfulness of nature, in 
adorning every unsightly object with her creations of 
beauty. 

One can follow the stream through its windinsrs from 
the top to the bottom of the fall, by clambering along 
the sides of the miniature precipice, or, by following 
along the safer path through the woods, can reach the 
desired point with less trouble and far more security. 
By taking a station at the foot and looking up through 
the cleft of the massive rocks, the whole beauty of the 
Falls can be seen at a glance. The fall of Avater must 
be more than fifty feet in a distance of three or four 
hundred feet. The peculiar structure of the rocky 
banks, the music of the waters, the requisite inter- 
mingling of light and shade, the distant prospect of 
forest and mountain, make this spot one of the loveliest 
places of resort for the tourist to be found in the neigh- 
borhood. 

Ascent op Mount Washington by Rail. 
More people now often ascend Mt. Washington in 
one day than in a whole week before the railroad was 
completed. Many regret the loss of the old method by 
the bridle-paths. Certainly these had their charms. 
The bridle-path from the Crawford House approaclies 
the summit of Mt. Washington over a succession of 
intervening and inferior mountains. The views which 
it affords of the abutting ranges and ravines on the one 
hand, and on the other of a broad expanse of check- 



108 WHITE MOUJSTTjIIM GUIDE. 

ered light and shade, are unsurpassed in grandeur and 
beauty ; but the fatigue of this method of ascent is by 
no means slight. 

The railroad was designed to obviate this difficulty, 
and furnish a means of ascent as easy and comfortable 
as the usual conveyance by rail. The road was com- 
menced in 1866 under the superintendence of Sylves- 
ter Marsh, the inventor ; and, after three years spent in 
construction, is now open to the public. The success 
which has attended the enterprise has been so marked 
as to almost revolutionize the travel in the mountain 
region. Few people now visit Mt. Washington with- 
out making the journey one way, at least, by rail. This 
road has also served as the model of a road up the 
Rhigi in Switzerland, the working plans for which 
were furnished by Mr. Marsh. 

The railroad to the Ammonoosuc Station, where the 
Mt. Washington Railroad has its terminus, is also now 
completed, and open for use. One may now leave 
Boston at a comfortable hour in the morning, and, with 
only one change of cars, find himself on the summit of 
Mt. Washington before sunset, and experience no more 
fatigue than is inseparable from a long car-ride. Trains 
leave the Fabyan House for the summit of Mt. Wash- 
ington at 9.20 A. M. and 4.45 p. m. The ride to the 
base station occupies half an hour. The trains reach 
the summit at 11.30 a. m. and 6.45 p. m. Returning, 
the trains leave the summit at 7.15 A. m., connecting 
with the morning express-train, and at 2 p. m., connect- 
ing with the afternoon train to Boston. 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 109 

The railroad follows up the Aramonoosuc River, 
climbing the somewhat steep ascent of this celebrated 
valley. It is six miles and two-thirds from the Fabyan 
House to the end of the friction rail. The Fabyau 
Plouse is 1,571 feet above the sea level. The terminus 
of the road at Ammonoosuc Station is 2,500 feet ; making 
a gain, in the whole distance, of 929 feet. For two and 
one half miles the grade is 290 feet to the mile, or one 
foot of perpendicular height to each eighteen feet of 
horizontal distance. A grade of 200 feet to the mile 
has heretofore been considered extreme ; so that this 
road, as well as the Mt. Washington, presents some new 
features of engineering skill. The road takes you into 
the very heart of the mountains. 

For the whole distance, you are drawing nearer and 
nearer to the mountain-fastnesses ; and the great charm 
of the ride is, that you have the full view of the moun- 
tains at all time. You gradually approach an impene- 
trable mountain-wall, which allows no outlet, save by 
the narrow thread which winds around the flank and 
up to the brow of Mt. Washington. At every point, 
too, this regal mountain stands the monarch of the 
hills in the centre of his court. The whole chain of de- 
pendent peaks may be seen, from Clinton on the south 
to Madison on the north, with Clay, Jefferson, and 
Adams standinoj oruard towards the east. The Ammo- 
noosuc Station, where the change is made to the cars of 
the Mt. Washington Railway, is 1,500 feet from the old 
terminus of this road at Marshfield. 



110 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

The terminal station of the railroad is called Marsh- 
field. Besides the railroad-buildings, there is a hotel 
here, at which some fifty guests can be accommodated, 
which has been erected since the railroad was opened. 
The railroad is nearly three miles long, and ascends 
3,625 feet, starting from a point 2,668 feet above tide- 
water. The maximum grade is 1,980 feet to the mile, 
or a little more than one foot in three ; while the average 
is very nearly one foot in four. The construction of the 
road was commenced in 1866, and it was completed in 
1869. The whole cost of the road and equipment is not 
far from $150,000. The road is built in the most sub- 
stantial manner, of timber, interlaced and bolted, resting 
on the solid rock of the mountain-side. Besides the 
usual rails, there is a centre rail of peculiar construction 
to receive the motive-power. It consists of two bars of 
iron, with connecting cross-pieces at a distance of every 
four inches. This rail may be well called "Jacob's 
Ladder," and thus preserve the memory of one of the 
steepest parts of the old pathway on the same location. 
A centre cog-wheel on the locomotive plays into this 
ail, and secures a sure and steady mode of ascent and 
descent. 

The locomotive, as it first comes out of the bouse, has 
the appearance of being ready to fall over. As soon as 
it commences the ascent it stands upright, the slant being 
given to it to secure more uniform action. The driving- 
wheel is geared into a smaller wheel, which connects 
directly with the crank. Four revolutions of the engine 
are required to make one of the driving-wheel, thus sac- 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. Ill 

rificing speed to power. The engine is not connected 
to the car, but simply pushes the car up the track. On 
the return it allows the car to follow it down at a slow 
rate of speed. 

To protect the train from accident, a wrought-iron dog 
constantly plays into notches on the driving-wheel, so 
that, if any part of the machinery gives way, the train 
is arrested where it is. There are also the usual fric- 
tion brakes, and, in addition, atmospheric brakes on each 
side of the car. These last alone are sufficient to stop 
the car, and hold it in any position. No accident has 
yet occurred by which any passenger has been injured 
in the slightest manner ; and, from the many precautions 
taken, there is no reason to fear one. 

The cars are comfortable and easy, and the trip is made 
without danger or fatigue. The cars are provided with 
seats placed at an angle, which brings them nearly on a 
level on the ascent. They all face down the mountain. 
There is, however, an aisle in the car, and platforms at 
each end, so that views may be had from all directions. 
The fare up the mountain is $3 ; up and back, $4 ; 
down the mountain, $3. Trunks are carried at a price 
determined by the size, hand-baggage only being car- 
ried free. 

The time occupied by the ascent on the railroad is 
about an hour and a half. The engine has to stop sev- 
eral times on the way to take in water. At first start- 
ing, this method of travelling being, to say the least, 
novel, the attention is naturally directed to the manner 
in which you are gradually forced up hill. Too much 



112 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

time should not, however, be spent in observing the 
mechanism. Unlike the other roads, almost from the 
moment when you leave the depot, a series of views is 
spread out before you of unsurpassing loveliness. The 
elevation of the track, which is nowhere absolutely on 
the ground, is sufficient to enable you to see over the tops 
of the trees and enjoy an uninterrupted view of all the 
country spread out at your feet. 

At first you look back upon the valley through which 
you have passed, and easily trace the windings of the 
turnpike. You catch an occasional glimpse of the river 
as it plays in and out of the forest. As you gaia the 
ascent the view widens, and Cherry Mountain, Jefferson, 
and a broad vista of plain and mountain breaks upon the 
view. Gradually the trees of the temperate zone are 
left behind, and the shrubs and flora of Labrador and 
Greenland make their appearance. You can soon, also, 
see over the south wall, which so jealously limited your 
vision as you drove up the valley. On reaching the 
main ridge between Clay and Washington, you have on 
the left of the track, facing up the mountain, the huge 
*' Gulf of Mexico," an immense amphitheatre or ravine, 
down which you can look for an almost sheer descent 
of a thousand feet. Here you come upon aviewto the 
east, towards the ocean, and at the base of the mountain, 
in the Peabody Valley, is the Glen House. 

The time occupied ia the descent is less than is re- 
quired for the upward trip. Steam is not used, the 
atmospheric brakes being sufficient to regulate the speed. 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 113 

The cars stop at the platform in front of the hotel. 
Though the ascent is now relieved of all the exposure to 
storm, and of much of the fatigue, that attended the old 
method of ascent, one must not forget that there is no 
summer on Mt. Washington, even if there is occasionally 
a warm, pleasant day, when the winds are not rough. As 
a rule, the days as well as the nights are apt to be un- 
comfortably cold, unless one is very warmly dressed. 
The thickest overcoats and the warmest shawls and 
wraps will be no burden here, however sultry may be 
the weather below. 

The View. 

Although the view from the Summit has already 
been described in connection with the ascent from the 
Glen, the following enumeration, from Oakes's White 
Mountain Scenery, of the objects of interest, visible on 
a clear day, may be of use to the tourist. " In the 
west, through the blue haze, are seen in the distance 
the ranges of the Green Mountains ; the remarkable 
outlines of the summits of Camel's Hump and Mans- 
field Mountain being easily distinguished wdien the 
atmosphere is clear. To the north-west, under your 
feet, are the clearings and settlements of Jefferson, the 
waters of Cherry Pond, and, farther distant, the village 
of Lancaster, with the waters of Israel's River, The 
Connecticut is not visible, but often, at morning and 
evening, its appearance is counterfeited by the fog 
rising from its surface. To the north and north-east, 
only a few miles distant, rise up boldly the great north- 



114 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

eastern peaks of the White Mountain range, — Jefferson, 
Adams and Madison, — with their ragged tops of loose, 
dark rocks. A little farther to the east are seen the 
numerous and distant summits of Maine. On the 
south-east, close at hand, are the dark and crowded 
ridges of the mountains in Jackson ; and beyond, the 
conical summit of Kiarsarge, standing by itself on the 
outskirts of the mountains ; and farther, over the low 
country of Maine, Sebago Pond, near Portland. Still 
farther, it is said, the ocean itself has sometimes been 
distinctly visible. The White Mountains are often seen 
from the sea, even at thirty miles' distance from the 
shore, and nothing can prevent the sea from being seen 
from the mountains but the difficulty of distinguishing 
its appearance from that of the sky near the horizon. 
Farther to the south are the intervals of the Saco, and 
the settlements of Bartlett and Conway, the sister 
ponds of Lovwell, in Fryeburg, and still farther, the re- 
markable four-toothed summit of Chocorua, the peak 
to the right much the largest and sharply pyramidal. 
Almost exactly south are the shining waters of the 
beautiful Winnipesaukee, seen with the greatest dis- 
tinctness in a favorable day. To the south-west, near 
at hand, are the peaks of the south-western range of 
the White Mountains •, Monroe, with its two little 
Alpine ponds sleeping under its rocky and pointed sum- 
mit ; the flat surface of Franklin, and the rounded tops 
of Mt. Pleasant, with their ridges and spurs. Beyond 
these the Willey Mountain, with its high, ridged sum- 
mit ; and beyond that several parallel ranges of high, 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 115 

wooded mountains. Farther west, and over all, is 
seen the high, bare summit of Mt. Lafayette, in Fran- 
couia. 

" At your feet is the broad valley surrounded by 
mountains, through which wind deviously the sources 
of the Ainmonoosuc, with its clearing at its farther 
extremity, and the Mt. Washington House ; and be- 
yond this, at twenty miles' distance, the little village of 
Bethlehem is dimly visible." 

The White Mountain House, 

about half a mile from the Fabyan, is kept by Messrs. 
Rounseville and Colburn. It is a very pleasantly situ- 
ated and quiet house, in the midst of an open tract of 
country. In the rear is a fine view of the White Moun- 
tains ; and in front, beyond the Ammonoosuc, rises the 
lofty range which connects the Great Notch with Fran- 
conia. 

Lower Ammonoosuc Falls. 

A short distance from the hotel, on the left of the 
highway, are the famous Falls of the Ammonoosuc. 
This stream is said to be the wildest and most rapid of 
all the rivers of New Hampshire, falling more than a 
mile in its course of thirty miles from Mt. Washington 
to the Connecticut River. It has many cascades, some 
of which are higher than this ; but none were more at- 
tractive till spoiled by the erection of a dam. Here the 
water issues from a forest of evergreens, and leaps down 
thirty feet over broad steps of granite. The rocks on 
each side seem laid in courses, as if by the hand, of a 
mason. 



116 white mountain guide. 

The Twin Modntain House 

is on the bank of the Ammonoosuc River, five miles 
from Fabjan's. The railroad station is on the opposite 
side of the river, immediately in front of the hotel. 
The house was built in 1870, and has always main- 
tained a high reputation. It will accommodate about 
250 guests. The prices are the same as at the Craw- 
ford House, which is under the same management. 
Mr. Beecher makes this hotel his headquarters when 
in the mountains, usually preaching on Sundays. The 
proprietors have made every exertion to make the sur- 
roundings attractive. The pond, made by a dam across 
the river, is furnished with boats, which are much used. 

Bethlehem Station 
is ten miles from Fabyan's. At this station will be 
found in waiting coaches for Bethlehem Village (two 
miles), and for the Profile House (twelve miles). The 
road to the village is over gently-rising ground, with the 
wall of hills on the south ; while to the north a broad and 
delightful view is gradually disclosed. The village is 
beautifully situated on high ground (1,450 feet above 
sea level), and is famous for its view of the whole range 
of the White Mountains. You feel a greater satisfaction 
in surveying them from this place than from any other 
point where the view is so comprehensive. Towards 
the north-west are some noble white marble mountains 
in Vermont, appearing clothed in a garment of snow 
from base to summit. The whole northern and western 
horizon is jagged with mountain-summits, softening into 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 117 

beauty and grace in the mellow light of summer sunsets. 
Bethlehem is a place of great attraction for persons 
spending the summer in this region. Many are at- 
tracted here by the immunity which it shares, with other 
places in the mountains, from the autumnal catarrh. 
There are many boarding-houses, and several hotels. Of 
the latter, the largest is the Sinclair House, by Durgin 
& Fox, which will accommodate some two hundred 
guests. It occupies a commanding and prominent posi- 
tion. Terms, transient, $3.50 per day ; by the week, 
$15 to $20. The Maplewood House is nearer the 
station, and accommodates about seventy-five guests at 
slightly lower rates. The Strawberry Hill, Mt. Agassiz, 
and Avenue Houses are near the Sinclair, and each ac- 
commodates sixty to seventy-five guests. The other 
hotels are the Bellevue and J. N. Turner's. There are 
also many boarding-houses in the village. There are a 
great many drives of unusual attractiveness in this vicin- 
ity, which can easily be found by those who make any stay 
here. Mt. Agassiz (2,050 feet high) is about two miles 
south-east of the village. The path is an easy one ; but 
the view well repays the exertion. This was formerly 
called Peaked Hill, and received its present name in 
honor of Professor Agassiz, who was greatly interested 
in the glacial indications in this vicinity. The view 
from this summit is very extensive. The whole vil- 
lage of Bethlehem is so elevated above the valleys to 
the Notch^ that the view from all parts of it is extensive 
and varied ; while a short walk brings the observer into 
full view of the Franconia range on the south. 



118 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

Professor Agassiz wrote the following about the gla- 
ciers of this region : " Those familiar with the topography 
of the Franconia range, and its relations to Peaked Hill 
and the slope of Bethlehem, will at once perceive that 
the glaciers which deposited the front moraine to the 
north of Bethlehem Village must have filled the Valley 
of Franconia to and above the level of the saddle of 
Peaked Hill, making it 1,500 feet thick, if not more, — 
thicker, in short, than any of the present glaciers of 
Switzerland. It will be observed, also, that, as soon as 
the north portion of that glacier had retreated to the 
wall which encircles the Franconia Valley on the north, 
the glacier, occupying henceforth a more protected val- 
ley within the range, must have made a halt, and accu- 
mulated at this point, that is, south and west of the 
saddle of Peaked Hill, a very large terminal moraine." 

First View of Franconia. 
From Bethlehem the road winds up the high and 
toilsome hill, which one must pass on the way to Mt. 
Agassiz. Even from the road, the view compensates 
for the delay. This view, comprehending the whole of 
the grand Franconia range in front, with the head of 
Lafayette standing majestically above them all, and on 
the right the dark opening of the Notch, with long ex- 
tent of valley and interval between, is one of the finest 
views in the day's ride. It remains in sight for some 
time while you are descending the hill and crossing the 
valley of the south branch to the Ammonoosuc. Then 
begins the slow ascent of the Notch. Winding through 
its shady ravines, along the west base of Bald Mountain, 
«ve come at last to the Profile House. 



fvhite jmouj^'t^ijv guide, 119 

Franconia Notch and its Neighborhood. 
The Franconia range of hills, though properly be- 
longing to the White Mountain range, is still so dis- 
tinct and peculiar in its character as to deserve a length- 
ened notice. The beauties of the surrounding scenery 
entitle it to all the admiration Avhich the tourist be- 
stows upon it. Indeed, by old habitues of the region, 
Franconia is considered the gem of the mountains. 
There is not the overpowering grandeur which belongs 
to the White Mountains, while the greater variety of 
interesting objects amply compensates for the absence 
of more stately scenes. The quiet beauty and the 
repose of nature in the Franconia Notch may well in- 
troduce the traveller to the higher sublimity beyond, or 
refresh him as he retires from the powerful influence 
Avhich he has felt before the majesty of the Notch. 
There is a tranquillity in the former feeling, and a sense 
of relief in the latter, which prepares or soothes the 
mind. Here is rest ; here is comfort. Beneath the 
shadow of these solemn mountains the weary soul finds 
composure. Selfishness and worldliness are rebuked. 
The most thoughtless are hushed to reflection, and a 
better understanding of life grows up in the midst of 
Nature's grand instructions. We do not suppose our 
tourist is in quest of mere pleasure ; w^e believe him to 
be a better and nobler man than to spend his days thus. 
He is open to every good influence that will make life 
more rich, and beautiful, and fair. There is no better 
influence than that of which he will be sensible in the 
still retreat of Franconia. 



120 fVHITE MOUJVTAIJV GUIDE. 



The Profile House, 
a new and large hotel, of the very best and most com- 
fortable accommodations, is situated in the immediate 
vicinity of Echo Lake, Cannon Mountain, Eagle Cliff, 
The Profile, and Mount Lafayette. It is on a level 
plain, a few acres in area, in the bosom of the hills. 
It has two approaches : on the north, from Bethlehem 
and Littleton — on the south, from the Flume House and 
the Pemigewasset Valley. Of the approach from Lit- 
tleton we have elsewhere written. From Bethlehem, 
over the road from Crawford's, the approach is some- 
times startling in its effect. The views shift with 
great rapidity ; at one time are wholly concealed, at an- 
other break forth upon the traveller with surprising 
abruptness. Going up the slow ascent of the hill east 
of Bethlehem, with the Mount Washinirton rano-e be- 
hind, the Franconia mountains on the left, and all 
northern New Hampshire on the right, the landscape is 
most enchanting. One almost wishes the hill longer. 
The village of Bethlehem itself is most picturesquely 
situated, and commands a view of wide expanse. But 
beyond it is a hill tedious to climb, with scarcely a 
compensating scene to look upon, and one begins to 
wonder where the vaunted glories of the region are to 
be found. But on reaching the top of the hill a 
magnificent prospect stretches before him. Across the 



WHITE MOUJVTJlIJV GUIDE, 121 

Franconia valley rise the lofty summits of Lafayette, 
with his seamed and scarred sides, and the kindred 
mountains standing like sentinels to guard the pass 
against profane intruders. Their irregularity is most 
picturesque, while, at the same time, they are most 
finely grouped. They stand out in most august pro- 
portions, relieved by the dark blue of the clear summer 
sky. We ride down the hill into the little village of 
Franconia, in a state of mingled admiration and awe. 
Then, entering the forest, we pass beneath its leafy 
arches to the rest and enjoyment of our temporary home. 
The Profile House, improved by successive enlarge- 
ments, is now excelled by no hotel in the State. The 
parlor wing, with a parlor 100 by 50 feet, contains 
many new rooms. The new dining-hall is a fine room, 
of about the same size as tlie parlor. The public rooms 
and hall are lighted with gas. The hotel is also sup- 
plied with bath rooms. About four hundred guests 
can now be accommodated in this hotel. During the 
heighth of the season, the spacious corridors and 
piazzas present a lively appearance. Two cottages for 
families have also been built just south of the house. 
Messrs. Taft and Greenleaf, the proprietors, have been 
so long identified with the locality, that their reputa- 
tion, as well as the good name of the house, is en- 
tirely independent of any praises of a guide book. If 
faithful attention, clean rooms, — such as Izaak Wal- 
ton loved, — a profuse table, and beauty of locality 



122 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

can furnish a desirable resting-place for the traveller, 
these are all to be found in this favored spot. The 
location of this hotel between the mountain-peaks, the 
clear bracing air of the Notch, and the pure water of 
the hills, combine in giving one an excellent appetite 
and good digestion. This hotel has long been a favor- 
ite tarrying-place for those accustomed to spend their 
leisure time among the mountains ; and every year only 
adds to its popularity. A telegraph-office, post-office, 
book -stand, and barber-shop are in the hotel. 

Echo Lake. 
In the woods to the north of the hotel, a short dis- 
tance from the road over which we have just travelled, 
lies imbosomed Echo Lake. It is a sheet of water 
of great depth and transparency, and, as it sleeps there 
in its secure repose, seems the very type of rest. All 
around rise the green hills of the region, Laftiyette lift- 
ing his rocky summit high above them all. The setting 
is appropriate for this exquisite gem. One never wea- 
ries of the quiet scene. The lake is well supplied with 
boats, by means of which one may visit the different 
points where the best views may be obtained. Plere 
are the centres of the most marvellous echoes. The 
sounds of a tin horn, blown with skill, will be returned 
in oft-repeated notes like the sweetest music. The 
human voice, shouting distinctly, will be re-echoed 
with wonderful effect, as though the invisible inhab- 
itants of the hills were holding a colloquy with " the 
babbling gossip of the air." The report of a cannon 
fired on the shore will reverberate like peals of 



WHITE MOUJ^TAI^r GUIDE. 123 

thunder among the fastnesses of the mountains. In 
the stillness of morning, or in the quiet of the evening 
at the sunset hour, the lake is the resort of those who 
best know and can appreciate the wonders of the place. 
The wind is whist ; the waters sleep ; the mountains 
are silent ; the purple glow is on all the trees and rocks. 
Then is the time to wake the slumbering echoes, and 
hear the many voices that reply. Pie who has not 
visited this lovely spot at this bewitching time, does 
not understand half the magical, secret beauty which 
lingers around Echo Lake. 

Eagle Cliff. 

Almost directly overhanging the hotel, on the north, 
is Eagle Cliff. It is a huge, columnar crag, sepa- 
rated from the crest of the mountain, and rising per- 
pendicularly, with jagged rocks, seemingly ready to 
topple from its place in wide-spread ruin beneath. This 
precipitous cliff derives its name from the fact that it 
was chosen for an eyry by a pair of eagles several 
years ago. They were often to be seen circling around 
its summit, and looking down, as though with disdain, 
upon the gazing crowds below, who have invaded their 
solitude. But two or three years ago they were driven 
awrj by some over-curious explorers of their nests. 
No prouder position could be chosen for a habitation 
by this noble bird. It stands out in the picture a most 
prominent and majestic peak. Approached from the 
south, it is finely portrayed upon the background of 
the sky. A point about three fourths of a mile distant, 



124 WHITE MOUJVT^JJ\r GUIDE. 

upon the border of Ferrin's Pond, or Profile Lake, fur* 
nishes the finest view. Its lofty crags are distinctly- 
seen, as though rising from a bed of deepest green, 
formed by the luxuriant birches and vines that attempt 
to clamber up its sides. At sunrise or sunset, when 
all is dark in the valley, the rosy light softens the rude 
outline, and it shines out in clear brightness above the 
mists below. As you sit on the piazza of the hotel 
the cliff looms before you in gigantic proportions, a 
study for the present, and a glorious memory for the 
future to recall. 

Profile Mountain. 

Directly opposite Eagle Cliff, on the south side of 
the Notch, rises Cannon, or, as we prefer to call it, 
Profile Mountain. The former name is given on 
account of a supposed resemblance to a cannon which 
a rock upon its summit exhibits. The latter more 
appropriately belongs to it, since it bears upon the 
southern extremity of its crest the " Great Stone Face." 
The mountain is ascended by means of a footpath 
which seems to lead almost directly from the front of 
the hotel to the summit. 

The ascent is somewhat difficult, requiring about 
two hours of wearisome climbing. But the extended 
prospect at the end of the journey amply compensates 
all the toils of the way. The view from the platform 
of denuded rock above, down the valley of the Pemi- 
gewasset, surpasses description. Nothing more beauti- 
ful Mdll be found in this region. The silvery stream, 



WHITE MOUJ^TAIJf GUIDE. 125 

the quiet forests, the verdant meadows, the placid lakes, 
the clusterino; villa^-es alonGf the windino; road, unite in 
a picture of enchanting loveliness. The surrounding 
peaks, and the towering heights of Washington and its 
peers, with the softly-swelling hills sloping away to the 
south, present all that one can imagine of the grand 
and of the beautiful in mountain scenery. A visit to 
Franconia is incomplete without the ascent of Profile 
Mountain. An outlay of a few dollars would complete 
an excellent saddle-path to its summit. 

Bald Mountain. 

There is, also, another pleasant mountain trip, even 
more immediately within the reach of every one than 
the ascent of Profile Mountain. The carriage road to 
this summit is out of repair. But the distance from the 
hotel is only a mile and half, and the walk is by no 
means difficult. The path leaves the highway to the 
right, at the top of the hill, about a mile from the Profile 
House. This is now a favorite sunset view, and there 
is no other point, near the hotel, that will so amply repay 
one for the slight exertion required. From the sum- 
mit, you see spread out before in the foreground, the 
broad basin of the Franconia valley, with the Bethlehem 
hills and the peaks of northern New Hampshire and 
Vermont in the distance. Towards the south, you have 
a fine view of the Notch, with Profile Lake at your feet, 
and Lafayette towering up above you toward the east, 
whose rugged rocks, glowing in the evening sunshine, 
change to purple as the shadows of Mt. Cannon creep 



126 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

up from the valley. Carriages can be had, if desired, 
in which you can ride to within half a mile of the 
summit. 

Cascade. 
Immediately behind the Profile House there is a 
cascade, which, from the facility W'ith which it may be 
reached by the tourist, deserves our notice. A path, 
entering the woods in the rear of the old Lafayette 
House, and following the aqueduct which supplies the 
hotel with water, conducts, in a short and pleasant 
walk, to a brook, which, when swollen by a recent rain, 
presents a succession of cascades that will amply repay 
a visit. The bed of the brook lies for a long distance 
over a shelving ledge of sufficient extent to impress one 
adequately with the gigantic framework of our granite 
hills. Tliis feature of the scene, together with the 
charming glimpses of Echo Lake and the surrounding 
mountains which are caught in the ascent, will render 
a visit to this cascade pleasant at any time. At one 
point a most exquisite view is obtained of the northern 
part of the Ammonoosuc valley. But only after a 
heavy rain, or amid melting snows, is this cascade 
seen to advantage, and one will often desire some such 
arrangement for displaying its capabilities as exists at 
the Catskill Falls. The best time to make a visit to 
this spot is at the close of day, before sunset, when, 
through the openings of the wood, the surrounding 
scenery appears in all its beauty. The view of Echo 
Lake and of the hills and woodland beyond, reaching 
far towards the Ammonoosuc, is of such exquisite 



WHITE MOUJVTjUjY GUIDE. 127 

beauty that it alone will repay one for a visit to the 
cascades. 

The great marvel and pride of this region is the 

Profile. 

As we walk down the road to the south of the hotel, 
we soon come to a rude bench by the wayside, and, 
attracted by the guide-board above it, inscribed with 
the single, simple word, "• Profile," as we direct our 
eyes to the point which it indicates, the huge face, with 
all its features thoroughly delineated, stands out in 
bold outline before our sight. There it is, a colossal, 
completely symmetrical profile, looking down upon the 
valley from its lofty height, perfectly distinct and clear. 
The tourist may possibly think that this, like other 
wonderful stories of which veracious guide-books tell, 
may be a myth, and that the similarity may exist only 
in the fancy of the writer. But no ! This time, at 
least, he will acknowledge that there is no delusion. 
Nature has carved out, with the most accurate chisel- 
ling, this astonishing sculpture. Every portion of the 
face is there upon the solid mountain steep. There is 
the stern, projecting, massive brow, as though stamped 
with the thouo-ht and wisdom of centuries. The nose 
is straight, finely cut, and sharply outlined. The thin, 
senile lips are parted, as though about to utter the 
thunders of majestic speech. The chin is well thrown 
forward, with exact proportionate length, betokening 
the hard, obstinate character of the " Old Man," Avho 
has faced, with such unmoving steadiness, the storms 

9 



128 WHITE MOUJVTJllA'' GUIDE, 

of ages. The Sphinx of the Desert must acknowledge 
its inferiority to this marvellous face upon the moun- 
tain. When seen in the morning, as the mists float up 
from the valley beneath and along its ponderous fea- 
tures, it looms into larger proportions still, and with 
the heavy gray beard, which sometimes settles upon 
its chin, and doAvn its breast, it seems like the face of 
some hoary patriarch of antiquity. Some one has 
made the remark that " as men are accustomed to 
hang out before their shop doors certain signs to desig- 
nate their respective occupations, so here God has 
sculptured this great Face to show that in these regions 
he makes men." 

" It is not advisable," says one of the admirers of 
the Old Man of the Mountain, " to go to take your 
first look at him when the sun lights up the chasm of 
his granite cheek and the cavernous mystery of his 
bent brow. Go to him when, in the solemn light of 
evening, the mountain heaves up from the darkening 
lake its vast wave of luxuriant foliage. Sit on one of 
those rocks by the roadside, and look, if you can, with- 
out awe, at the Granite Face, human in its lineaments, 
supernatural in its size and position, 
Aveird-likc in its shadowy mystery, but 
its sharp outline wearing an expres- 
sion of mortal sadness, that gives it 
the most fascinating interest." The 
view in the margin is an exact repre- 
sentation of the Profile alone, as it 
appears to the observer. It was doubts 




WHITE MOUJSrTJlIJ\r GUIDE. 129 

less an object of veneration to the aboriginal in- 
habitants. Various traditionary tales are yet extant 
respecting the superstitious homage once paid to it by 
the Indian tribe^ who frequented the localityo Relics 
of their life, and singular utensils of a former genera- 
tion, have been found near it. To the whites, however, 
it has been little known till witliin the last fifty years. 
In the early part of the present century the road that 
passes along this way was laid out, and in clearing the 
land of the trees that impeded the path the Profile was 
discovered. Since that time it has been an object of 
the most absorbing interest. The genius of Hawthorne 
has embalmed it in our literature, and his story of 
" The Great Stone Face " can only be read apprecia- 
tively beneath its shadow. We give a view of the 
*' Old Man," engraved from a photograph. 

To those who are curious in exploration, the oppor- 
tunity is easily improved of ascending by a footpath 
across the summit of the mountain to the point above 
the profile. It has been ascertained that the height of 
the " Old Man " is very nearly twelve hundred feet 
above the level of the little lake below it, and that the 
length of the fiice is from thirty to forty feet. In 
the many conflicts with the elements which it has 
endured, it has been roughened and scarred. But from 
the road no such appearance is presented, except 
through a telescope, and the face appears fair and 
smooth. The precipice, of wdiich it forms the extrem- 
ity, is not unlike the palisades of the Pludsou in appear- 
ance. It extends for nearly two miles along the escarp- 



130 



ITHITE MOUJVTjSIJV GUIDE. 




inent of the mountaiu, and is a prominent part of the 
scenery of the section. The Profile itself undergoes 
many changes, according to the point of observation. 
It changes from its severe facial outline to a jagged and 
apparently shapeless mass of rocks, or to a face with a 
flat forehead, or with a huge Roman nose, or to the 
unmeaninijr and retreatinc: countenance of some wild 
animal. It is only at the place where the guide board 
is erected that the Profile is to be most distinctly seen. 
One can spend an hour or two no more profitably than 
by gazing upon its fascinating and wonderful line a- 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 131 

ments ; and he will return to look upon it once more, 
that it may be the last remembrance, ere he bids fare- 
well to this delightful spot. 

Profile Lake. 

Immediately below the Face, as though Nature 
would provide for her creation an appropriate mirror, 
nestles the beautiful sheet of water, Profile Lake. 
From the seat on the margin is one of the best views 
of the Profile. Here also, as on Echo Lake, are boats 
for use of the guests. The lake has been sometimes 
called the Old Man's Mirror, and more prosaically the 
Old Man's Washbowl. By whatever name it may be 
called, no appellation will ever detract from or add to 
its simple loveliness. It lies there, surrounded by rich, 
rolling forests, and above it the precipitous mountain. 
Its crystal depths reflect the overhanging trees, and its 
bright expanse smiles joyously in the sunlight. The 
very finest trout live in its waters, — as though only 
the choicest and most delicate of fish were suited to 
inhabit such a pure abode. We cannot help thinking- 
how the Greek love of the beautiful would have peopled 
all this region with the creations of its sacred mythology. 
Even the cold fancy of Occidental nature warms beneath 
the genial influence, and breaks forth in the most de- 
monstrative admiration. 

Mt. Lafayette 
is twelve hundred feet below Mt. Washington in heighff 



132 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

and the view from its summit is thought by many to 
equal that from its rival's crest. A good foot path leads 
up its rocky sides ; and the persevering lover of Nature, 
who is not afraid to make exertion, and is willing to ex- 
pend his strength, will be most abundantly rewarded for 
his labors. Horses are kept in readiness for the ascent 
of this lofty peak, which can be secured on application 
at the office of the hotel, with a guide, for $3.50 for 
each person. The trip can be made either on foot or 
horseback, in the forenoon or afternoon, without diffi- 
culty. 

The path enters the woods nearly opposite the hotel, 
and almost immediately begins the ascent. It winds up 
the ravine just south of Eagle ClifF, and, at a distance of 
about a mile from the hotel, winds along under the base 
of the uj)per part of the cliff on a level stretch of about 
a fourth of a mile. Not lono; after leavin": the hotel, 
there is an excellent view of the Profile ; otherwise you 
are nearly all the way concealed in the woods. Eagle 
Cliff is almost entirely composed of the Franconia 
breccia, of which mention has been made, composed 
of silicious rocks cemented by a feldspathic paste, with 
great sheets of granite in the Notch between the 
Cliff and Lafayette. After passing Eagle Cliff, the 
path turns to the right ; and a steady ascent of 
another mile brings you to the thick dwarf spruce, 
and soon to the bare rock near the lake. The north- 
ern view is, from this point, delightful, and in a clear 
day exhibits a beautiful panorama of river, plain, vil- 
lage, and surrounding hills. The path now strikes 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 133 

off to the left towards the summit, which is in plain 
sight for the remainder of the way. The same phenom- 
ena of vegetation appear here as upon Mt. Washington, 
— the stunted trees, the alpine flowers, the mosses 
clinging to the rocks. Still the path winds gently on, 
approaching the summit by a long but not wearisome 
ascent. 

At last the goal is reached, and comfortable shelter 
is found in a house erected in that lonely spot for the 
accommodation of visitors. After a momentary rest, 
the wide prospect invites the eye. The southern valley 
of the Pemigewasset opens its beauties, showing its 
charming contour for a distance of forty miles, as far 
as Plymouth. On the east, Washington rears his im- 
perial head, with his attendant range. North-east- 
wardly, pointed Katahdin cleaves the air, and the white 
hills of Stratford gleam in the north. Passing around 
the horizon, the eye rests admiringly upon tlie softened 
outline of northern New Hampshire and Vermont, 
the rounded summits of the Green Mountains, the 
sloping country of the south-west, broken by Monadnock 
and Kearsarge. Directly beneath the eye are the Pro- 
file, Echo Lake, — like a crystal gem in its emerald set' 
ting, — the pleasant farms of Lisbon and LandafF ; while 
a little farther yet, as ifcwere nestling around its base, 
are the villages of Littleton and Bethlehem, and farther 
still, Weils River, and the towns in the Connecticut 
Valley. Altogether, it is a view more beautiful, in 
some respects, though it may be less grand and majestic, 



134 WHITE Jnouj\rT^iJ\r guide. 

than that from Washington. Here, indeed, as Bryant 
sings of Monument Mountain, — 

* * * '< Thou shalt not look 
Upon the green and rolling forest tops, 
And down the secrets of the glens 

And streams that, with their bordering thickets, strive 
To hide their windings. Thou shalt gaze, at once. < 

Here on white villages, and tilth, and herds. 
And swarming roads ; and there on solitudes 
That only hear the torrent, and the wind. 
And eagle's shriek. * * * The scene 
Is lovely round ; a beautiful river there 
Wanders amid the fresh and fertile meads, 
The Paradise He made unto himself, 
Mining the soil for ages. On each side 
The fields swell' upward to the hills j beyond, 
Above the hills, in the blue distance, rise 
The mountain columns with Avhich earth props heaven." 

There is upon the mountain, located on one of its 
most inaccessible points, a strange-looking stone, of 
large size and unusual form. It was named by those 
who discovered it, "The Altar," from a fancied resem- 
blance which they discerned to the old Runic remains 
of a similar character. The mountains have always 
been sacred places. Olympus has its classic fame as 
the seat of Jove ; Sinai, Iloreb, and Carmel have their 
divine associations ; Olivet is held in affectionate ven- 
eration, as there seem to linger, even yet, among its 
wooded heights, the accents of the Saviour's voice of 
prayer. Lafayette might well awe the rude wor- 
shippers of the forest and the wild, and teach them of 
the presence of the Great Spirit. 

Besides these attractions immediately about the Pro- 



WHITE MOUJVTJirJV GUIDE. 135 

file House, there are others in the Valley of the Notch, 
and within easy reach, which the traveller must not 
fail to visit, unless he would render his tour incomplete. 



The Trout House 

is about a mile south of the hotel, where several hundreds 
of this beautiful fish are kept for breeding purposes. 
The fish are nearly all in the house and have become 
quit© tame. 

Walker^s Falls 

are not much visited, but are not the less attractive on 
that account. Half a mile below the clearing, where the 
bridle-path up Lafayette begins, a mountain brook 
crosses the road. By following up this, or by striking 
into the woods a little earlier will be found, after a walk 
of half a mile, the first of the falls to which this name is 
given. As the quantity of water is never very large,' 
and the perpendicular descent less than in many other 
mountain streams, these falls will doubtless be over- 
looked by many. But 

'^^ In the wood's dark coolness, 
"Where the path grows rougher and more steep, 
Where the trees stand thick in leafy fulness, 
And the moss lies green in shadows deep," — 

is one of the most picturesque of the mountain cascades. 
Were the water away, you would see a regular succes- 
sion of stone steps extending across the Avhole breadth 
of the bed of the stream. For a distance of about thirty 



136 WHITE MOUJVT^IJSr GUIDE. 

feet the Avatcr glides over these, dissolving into spray, 
in which a rainbow is almost always to be seen as you 
stand at the base. But clambering through the woods, 
you stand at the head of this cascade, and now, imme- 
diately above you, the water rushes down a descent of 
not less than fifty feet. The fall is irregular, being 
broken here and there by the huge blocks of granite, 
against which the water dashes with a rage which is 
lost in foam. 

Halt' a mile farther on there is a longer and more 
picturesque fall. It descends at one leap a distance of 
abou:. sixty feet, wdiile above this, too, there are long 
and tumultuous slides over the rocks which tenant all 
tlie hill-sideso The sides of the brook are of precipitous 
rocks, somewhat resembling those of the Flume, though 
not so high nor so contracted. A forenoon or an after- 
noon will suffice for the ramble, wdiich will be found 
exceedingly satisfactory. 

Proceeding another mile to the south, we reach 

The Basin. 

The waters of the Pemigewasset, flowing from Pro- 
file Lake, after tumbling in many a beautiful cascade 
over the rocks that lie in their course, find their way, 
with many meanderings, to this point near the road- 
side. Here they fall over a rocky ledge, a few feet in 
height, into a deep hollow in the solid granite. The 
diameter of this rocky basin, formed by the continual 
action of the wate? and mingled stones and bowlders 
from above, is about thirty feet in its shortest width, 



WHITE J\I0UJVTj9IJ\r GUIDE. 137 

and forty feet in its longest. Its circumference is not 
far from sixty feet. Its depth is of such proportions, 
— ordinarily of fifteen feet, — as to form a by no 
means shallow bowl, which is always filled Avith cold, 
pure, and pellucid water. On one side the rocks jut 
ever the mimic depths, forming a dam for the flowing 
stream, thus producing the most exquisite of waterfalls. 
The embankment surrounding it is covered, in the 
proper season, with green mosses and sweet flowers, 
with their delicate bells 

" Tolling their perfume on the passing air." 
At the other extremity, where the delivered waters, 
free from their temporary imprisonment, make their 
way out, singing as they go, is a fissure in the rock, 
forming another little waterfall. Upon one side is a 
peculiar conformation of the granite, which, by a slight 
stretch of the fancy, can be said to resemble a titanic 
leg and foot, scooped out and polished by the ever- 
flowing current. As you look down into these trans- 
parent waters, the bed of the basin can be distinctly 
seen, so fair and clear is their emerald purity. One 
is almost tempted to fling aside his outer garments and 
plunge into this luxurious and delicious bath. It is 
certainly fit for the ablutions of a goddess. There is 
a peculiar and almost magical charm about the basin, 
which enchains you to its margin, and will not let you 
go free. You are obliged at last to tear yourself away, 
with many regrets that the time of your sojourn amid 
these beautiful haunts of Nature is so brief. But 
**A thing of beauty is a joy forever." 



138 WHITE MOUJVT^IJV GUIDE. 

and your recollection will often recur to these distant 
scenes, as you live over again, in delighted memory, 
the joys of other days. 

Cascades. 

A rude bridge of logs is thrown across the brook 
at the outlet of the Basin, more for purposes of con- 
venience than as an enhancement of the beauty of the 
spot. Crossing this, and following up the path for 
about two hundred rods, one discovers a succession 
of cascades of the most exquisite loveliness. The 
path is not very well worn, but can be easily traced. 
The tourist must follow it to its end, and he will 
pronounce this to be one of the most enchanting 
places in the region. The cascades show an infinite 
variety of beautifid forms, and end at last in a water- 
fall through a narrow cleft in the rocks of the hillside, 
of twenty or thirty feet in height. The banks of the 
stream are lined with the richest foliage, and open- 
ings among the trees disclose at intervals the rugged 
sides of Lafayette. The majority of travellers do not 
explore this region, but are contented with a passing 
glance at the Basin, and thereby lose almost the finest 
portion of the sceneryo The best way to enjoy these 
places is to ramble about at one's own sweet will, 
and meet with surprises at every step, as Nature pre- 
sents her pictures. Let no one forget to examine 
the course of the little stream now before him. He 
will find all along its way the most numerous objects 
to give him pleasure and satisfaction. 



WHITE MQUJ\rTAIJ\r GUIDE. 139 

A mile or two farther, and Ave reach the 

Flume House. 
No site can be more full of beauty than that which 
is occupied by this hotel. Directly in front is Mt. Lib- 
erty, with its fancied resemblance to the profile of 
George Washington, closing the view of the *' forest 
primeval," with its shades of rich green foliage, its quiet 
groves, and its soft and pleasant paths. On the north 
is the picturesque Notch, with all its surroundings, in 
bold outline. From the southern piazza, the whole 
Pemigewasset valley is in sight, unequalled for the 
variety which the wide prospect exhibits. No one can 
sit on this piazza at the close of day, to watch the glories 
of the sunset, and note the charming effects produced on 
" hill and dale, and pleasant intervale," without rejoic- 
ing in the good fortune which led him to make the 
Flume House his temporary home. The hotel, though 
having rooms for only forty guests, is new and commodi- 
ous. It is kept by the proprietors of the Profile House 
and a hotel is now open on this site for the first time for 
several years. 

The Flume and the Cascades. 
In the immediate neighborhood of the Flume House 
are the three chief remaining objects of interest at 
the Francouia mountains. These are the Flume, the 
Cascade, and the Pool. The former is in a south- 
easterly direction from the hotel, about three quarters 
of a mile distant, A good road leads to the lower 



140 WHITE MOUJ^TAIJ\r GUIDE. 

part of the Cascade below the Flume. Thence, a 
footpath leads up the course of the stream. Cross- 
ing and recrossing at intervals, clambering up the 
sides of steep rocks, again following the bed of the 
stream itself, one finds at every forward movement 
something to admire. The Cascade is a continuous 
fall — a sheet of molten silver, on the smooth and pol- 
ished rock — of more than six hundred feet. The 
descent is very gradual, with occasional abruptness. 
With the murmur of its waters in the ear, and its 
marvellous beauty in the eye, we ascend to the Flume 
itself. jN^o more wild and striking view can be im- 
acrined. For seven or ei"ht hundred feet or more the 
stream pours its volume along a rocky bed, which 
breaks it up into numberless waterfalls, between two 
mural precipices, that lift themselves on either side, 
crowned Avith the abundant foliage of the forest. The 
height of these walls is from sixty to seventy feet. 
The width between them is a general average of twenty 
feet, except at the upper end. Here the walls ap- 
proach each other. Suddenly contracting to about 
ten feet, they hold, suspended between them, about 
midway up their sides, a huge bowlder of granite. 
So nicely is it adjusted, and so slight appears its 
hold, that one would think the gentlest touch sulH- 
cient to push it from its resting-place into the ravine 
below. By what process it has fallen into its present 
position — indeed, in what manner this remarkable 
fracture of the rock has taken place — is a puzzle 
for scientific beads. Its presence greatly adds to the 



winrE jMoujvt.^lx guide. 



141 



wildness of the scene. We are content with that, and 
do not care to speculate about its cause. In general, 
one can follow the stream tlirough this narrow gorge, 
— not without trepidation as he passes beneath the 
suspended mass, — and, bj climbing the rocky heights, 
can obtain a capital view from above. The trunk of 
a tree lies across the chasm, forming a temporary and 
precarious bridge. We would suggest to the propri- 
etors of the hotels to fell one or more trees, and give 
a safer foothold to those adventurers who are desirous 
of seeing all the wonders of the place. In the au- 
tumn, when the forests are rich in purple, crimson, and 

7M\ 




142 WHITE J^OUJVTjlIJSr GUIDE. 

cold, or in the winter, Avhen the ravine is filled with 
snow, and icicles hang from the cliffs, and the little 
stream bursts through its partial confinement, the scene 
is one of great grandeur. In the luxuriance of sum- 
mer it is more fresh and glowing, the verdure of the 
woods relieving the nakedness of the rocks. In all 
seasons it is a place for study, for reflection, and de- 
light. 

The scene most forcibly suggests to one the follow- 
ing lines from Shelley's Cenci : — 

" But I remember, 
Two miles on this side of the fort, the road 
Crosses a deep ravine ; 'tis rough and narrow, 
And winds with short turns down the precipice ; 
And in its depth there is a mighty rock, 
Which has, from unimaginable years. 
Sustained itself with terror and with toil 
Over a gulf, and with the agony 
With which it clings, seems slowly coming down ; 
Even as a wretched soul hour after hour 
Clings to the mass of life ; yet, clinging, leans, 
And, leaning, makes more dark the dread abyss 
In which it fears to fall : beneath this crag, 
Huge as despair, as if in weariness. 
The melancholy mountain yaAvns — below, 
You hear but see not an impetuous torrent 
Raging among the caverns, and a bridge 
Crosses the chasm ; and high above there grow, 
With intersecting trunks, from crag to crag, 
Cedars, and yews, and pines, whose tangled hair 
Is matted in one solid roof of shade 
By the dark ivy's twine. At noonday here 
'Tis twilight, and at sunset blackest night." 

Returning from the Flume, we find the path to the 



WHITE MOUJVTJlIJSr GUIDE. 143 

Pool, 
directly In front of tlie hotel, leading straight into the 
woods. A Avalk of three quarters of a mile, beneath 
the overhanging branches, brings us to this famous and 
wonderful formation. A deep excavation, as though 
hewn by human hands, in the granite, holds the Avaters, 
which enter by a cascade from the upper, and escape 
through an opening in the mass of rocks at the lower 
extremity. The width of the Pool is about a hundred 
and fifty feet ; its depth about forty i^Qi. From the 
brink of the wall above to the surface below, the dis- 
tance is very nearly one hundred and fifty feet. It is 
a place of the most wondrous attraction. It may not 
have the charm of the Basin and the Cascades, but it 
is more secluded, and the sight of it is a sufficient 
return for the toils of the way, if toils they may be 
called. The rambling wood-path, and the stroll along 
its pleasant way, can never be toilsome to the true lover 
of Nature, even though so worthy an object of admi- 
ration as is the Pool were not at its termination. An 
old enthusiast, who appears to live in a boat of some- 
what novel construction, upon the waters of this retired 
Pool, will, for a small gratuity, give any one who de- 
sires it a ride in his ark-like dwelling, and will pro- 
pound a theory of creation not found in standard 
authorities. He has also constructed a path from the 
Pool to the Flume, which much shortens the distance 
between the two places, but which is somewhat diffi- 
cult, though not wholly impracticable, to ladies. 

10 



144 white mountain guide. 

Georgianna Falls. 

About a mile south of the Flume House is a farm- 
house with gable ends, owned by Mr. Guernsey. A 
path here leads into the woods. Mr. Guernsey will 
act as guide ; and his assistance is essential, as the path 
is quite obscure. The walk is through the forest, up a 
moderate ascent for about a mile and a half. The 
stream which flows over the falls is at some seasons 
quite large ; but in a dry time, like all the mountain 
brooks, it carries but little water. The falls extend over 
150 or 200 feet of perpendicular height, though broken 
into more than one leap. The best view is to be obtained 
from a point about one-third of the way down, where 
the water is sliding over a broad sheet of rock, fretted 
into glancing foam of such exquisite delicacy as to re- 
semble a fine lace shawl. " Mirror Cave " gives a beau- 
tiful reflection of that portion of the falls near it. From 
the upper part of the ledge is a fine view of the Pemi- 
gewasset Valley. The excursion may be easily made 
from the Profile or Flume House in a forenoon or after- 
noon, and is perfectly practicable for ladies. 

These falls were duly christened " Georgianna Falls " 
in 1858, by one of the first parties which visited them, 
and the name has become well established. They were 
also called " Harvard Falls," probably, about the same 
time. The State geologist, to solve the problem and 
retain both names, has decided to call the brook " Har- 
vard Brook," and to allow the other name to remain 
unaltered. 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 145 



Mount Pemigewasset 

is the peak west of the Flume House. The path 
enters the woods just north of the hotel, and is distinctly 
marked. It will not be found difficult for ladies, and 
will not require more than half an hour of easy walking. 
The top is a broad ledge of bare rock, surrounded by the 
usual spruce growth. The view commands the whole 
Pemigewasset Valley from Cannon Mountain, whose 
broad cliffs limit the view on the north ; thence to hills 
in Plymouth on the south, with Lafayette and the other 
mountains of his range in the east. The south top of 
the mountain is quite precipitous, even overhanging in 
some places. This can be reached by a little rough 
climbing down the shelving side to the west. 

The Moosilauke Basins. 

There are many pleasant drives down the valley of 
the river, and on the side-roads which lead off into the 
valleys. One of the most pleasing is that which turns 
to the west, about four miles south of the Flume House, 
and leads up the valley towards Moosilauke. On the 
stream which flows through the valley are some very 
interesting chasms in the rocks, worn by the action of 
the water, called the " Moosilauke Basins." 

From the Flume House the tourist may retrace his 
steps, and leave the mountains via Littleton, or, better 
yet, take the stage-ride of twenty-five miles down the 
charming Valley of the Pemigewasset, connecting with 
the cars at Plymouth, 



146 white mouj^taij\r guide. 

Lake Winnipesaukee. 

Before proceeding to the account of routes, we 
will give a brief description of Lake Winnipesaukee, 
as it is usually visited on the way to or from the 
Mountains, and may be approached from different 
directions. 

The lake lies in the two counties of Carroll and 
Belknap, and is very irregular in form. At the west 
end it is divided into three large bays ; at the north is 
a fourth ; and at the east end there are three others. 
Its general course is from north-west to south-east. 
From one extreme end to the other the distance is not 
far from tAventy-five miles. The width varies from 
one to seven miles. The towns of Moultonborough, 
Wolfborough, Tuftonborough, Centre Harbor, Mere- 
dith, Gilford, and Alton lie upon its borders, while 
from the hvAi land of more distant towns fine views 
can be obtained of its placid waters. 

The waters of the lake descend four hundred and 
seventy-two feet in finding their way to the Atlantic. 
A rapid river of the same name with that of the lake, 
over which the railroad passes at Sanbornton Bridge, 
serves as its outlet to the Merrimack. The waters of 
Lake Winnipesaukee are remarkably clear, so that 
their finny inhabitants can be seen with great distinct- 
ness playing among the stones at the depth of many 
feet. The fish, of which there is a great variety, can 
frequently be caught at the steamboat wharves. The 
" oldest inhabitants," who know the haunts " where 



WHITE MOUJSrTjUJV- GUIDE. 147 

fish do congregate," can convoy you to rare sport. 
There are several places about the lake where, for 
about two weeks, large numbers of smelts can be caught. 
Then all disappear, and none are seen till the recur- 
rence of the same season. Formerly, before so many 
dams obstructed their course, the shad came up here 
from the sea, to leave their spawn in the shallow bays. 
An effort is being made, by the erection of fish-ways 
at the dams, to restore their ancient privileges. 

Lake Winnipesaukee is a mountain lake. Yet it 
lacks almost all those wdld, rough features of mountain 
scenery which usually characterize inland waters in 
mountainous regions. The mountains rise on all sides, 
but the shore, seen from the distance, is comparatively 
smooth and level. The islands, far from being pre- 
cipitous and rocky, are covered with verdure, and seem 
to float like fairy barks upon the broad lake-mirror. 
The lake is usually approached in the calm and still- 
ness of the noon-day sun. The spirit of repose, inci- 
dent upon the hour and upon the escape from the hot, 
dusty cars, harmonizes with the green foliage of the 
islands and the quiet surface of the water. By and 
by, soon after starting, a mild, balmy breeze just ruf- 
fles the surface of the lake, and, giving yourself up to 
its genial influences, you no longer wonder at the 
Indian admiration which gave it the name of " The 
beautiful water in a high place," or, " The Smile of 
the Great Spirit," as some maintain. 

The route by way of this lake is the finest ap- 
proach to the White Hills. Here is a vast antecham- 



1-18 WHITE MOUJ\rTAIJ\r GUIDE. 

ber, the entrance hall, from which you look up 
through the valley of the Saco to the towering peaks 
of the MountaiuSo Yet neither this, nor the impres- 
sion of lofty mountain scenery, constitutes the charm of 
the lake view. It consists rather in the feeling of 
quiet and repose, the freedom from the care and tur- 
moil of busy life, engendered by the exquisite harmo- 
ny of the outlines of the surrounding mountains, seen 
either from the lake or from the hotels on the shores, 
and the inviting aspect of the little islands which every 
where glisten like emeralds on its bosom. The ever- 
varying hues of the landscape, running through the 
whole scale from sunrise to sunset, transforming the 
lake into an opal, in the eyes of Mr. King, are sources 
of perpetual delight. AYliile among the mountains one 
is constantly incited to activity and to rambles requir- 
ing exertion ; the tendency here is to enjoy the beauty 
of the scene while at rest, depending for variety upon 
the effects of sunlight and cloud. 

But not at all times does the lake thus calmly receive 
its visitors. Geo. Wm. Curtis thus describes a visit to 
the lake, and a passage through a thunder-storm : — 

" Let it be a moist, even showery, summer day in 
late July or early August, with heavy, dark clouds 
rolling and breaking, fringing with silver rays and 
shrouding in soft, evanescent mists the tops and sides of 
distant hills, while towards the west and south there are 
cool, sweet, tranquil depths of blue air above, and a 
sparkling, opaline sheen upon the shore. As you leave 
the Weirs in that neat, and pretty, and comfortable little 



WHITE MOUJ\rTjlIJ\r GUIDE. 149 

steamer, the Lady of the Lake, the green headlands 
near by will be brilliant with sunshine, but Red Hill 
will be muffled with solemn cloud, peering gravely 
tlirough at times, and Ossipee will be utterly obscured, 
while on Belknap, at your right, the ground will seem 
to heave and roll, — so suddenly shifting are the dark 
cloud -shadows and bursts of sun. As you emerge 
upon the broader lake, far to the south the happy 
regions lie, calm skies and rosy peace. But as you 
head northward towards Centre Harbor, alluring coves 
and bays open and stretch away on every side to dusky 
mist and storm. A thick black cloud envelops Red 
Hill, shuts out the friendly shore, leaves only the nearer 
quiet wooded points, while the lightning darts, the 
thunder booms angrily, sullenly haunting the winding 
bottoms of the hills, or cracks and rattles sharply over- 
head, and the freshening breeze, that foreruns rain, 
scuds darkling and sparkling over the water, nearer 
and nearer, until with colder blast and deeper roar the 
serried legions of the storm dash furious on, and we are 
instantly enveloped in rattling, blinding rain, and fierce, 
chill o;iists that extins-uish the shores. 

" The tremendous rain streams by, and close before 
you lie the little white church and spire, and the clus- 
ter of neat houses that make the village of Centre 
Harbor, ujiou tlie very shore of the lake, and at the 
foot of hills that rise backward to heavy evergreen sides 
and summits ; while at the right, as you face the village, 
Red Hill emerges, dark, and cool, and crisp, with even 
foliage, from the cloud that clings along the heights, 



150 WHITE MOUJVTjIIA'' GUIDE. 

but ravels into slireds of mist around the base and up 
the dells." 

There are two steamers that ply upon the lake ; two 
points at which it may be approached from the south, 
and two points of departure for the mountains. The 
steamers are the Lady of the Lake and Mt. Washington. 
Both are new. The former runs between the Weirs, 
Centre Harbor, and Wolfborough, and the latter be- 
tween Alton Bay, Wolfborough, Centre Harbor, and 
Meredith Village. The Boston, Concord, and Montreal 
Railroad connects with the former at Weirs, and the 
Boston and Maine with the latter at Alton Bay. 
Coaches leave Centre Harbor for Ossipee daily, con- 
necting at that point with the Great Falls and Conway 
Railroad for Conway. At Wolfborough, there is a 
rail connection with the same road by the Wolfborough 
branch. 

At the Weirs we embark in the new steamboat 
Lady of the Lake, under the charge of Captain 
Stephen B. Cole. Near the Weirs, at the head of the 
river, had we time, we might see the old " Endicott 
Rock," with its quaint and curious carving. It was 
discovered a few years since by accident as a dam was 
building. It is supposed to be a monument or boundary 
mark made by two surveyors sent out by Gov. Endi- 
cott of Massachusetts. 

But the tiukhng of the signal-bell soon gives us 
warning that we are to leave tlie wharf. We wind our 
way through the numberless islands that crowd our 



WHITE MOUJVT^IjY GUIDE. 151 

path. E,ecl Hill now appears in sight, and then is lost 
behind an intervening island. An opening strait gives 
you a view of Rattlesnake Island. The reptile after 
which the island is named is even now to be found here. 
None have been seen elsewhere about the lake for many 
years. Mt. Belknap or Gunstock is also to be seen on the 
right, and on the opposite quarter Ossipee rears its bare 
head. This mountain the tourist will find difficulty in 
escaping. The road towards the Notch winds around 
its base, and not till a good part of it has been passed 
over on the way towards North Conway will the peak 
be fairly left behind. About three miles from the 
Weirs we reach Bear Island, which is nearly four miles 
long. Upon one of these numerous islands there re- 
sided, in 1851, "solitary and alone," an aged spinster, 
familiarly known as " Aunt Dolly." In this wild and 
romantic spot, almost entirely cut off from the world, 
she lived in hermit independence, taking care of her 
corn, her few sheep, and occasionally rowing her own 
skiff to the main land. At length, after a sail of ten 
miles, we reach Centre Harbor. It is of this trip 
that Edward Everett speaks as follows : "I have been 
something of a traveller in our own country, — though 
far less than I could Avish, — and in Europe have seen 
all that is most attractive, from the Highlands of Scot- 
land to the Golden Horn of Constantinople — from the 
summit of the Hartz Mountains to the Fountain of 
Vaucluse ; but my eye has yet to rest on a lovelier 
scene than that which smiles around you as you sail 
from Weirs' landinsc to Centre Harbor." 



152 WHITE JHouj\rTJiiJ\r guide. 

Should the traveller have leisure to spend upon this 
beautiful lake, he cannot do better than continue his 
journey to AVolfborough. The distance from Centre 
Harbor is about twenty miles, and is usually accom- 
plished in two hours. For the first mile or two the 
course pursued is the same as that over which he has 
just passed. But he soon leaves the old path, and 
passes through a broader portion of the lake than that 
just traversed. It is a most delightful trip in a clear 
morning or pleasant evening. At sunset, particularly, 
and when the evening shades begin to prevail, is had 
the finest view of the distant mountains, with their ever- 
changing aspects. 

Alton Bay is the most southern point of the seven 
great bays of Winnipesaukee Lake. The village is small. 
There is a large camp-meeting ground on the shore of 
the lake near by. The Winnipiseogee House is near 
the station, and was enlarged in 1875. It is kept by 
Messrs. A. O. Phillips and Co. 

Board may be had here at the rate of $10.00 per 
week and upwards. There is an excellent livery-stable 
connected with the hotel, and there are many pleasant 
drives in the vicinity. Among these may be mentioned 
Sharp's Hill, from which an admirable view of the lake 
can be had. Lougee Pond, about six miles distant, is 
noted for tame fish. The pleasantest excursion, however, 
is to the summit of Mt. Belknap, about ten miles distant. 
The fare for a party in a mountain-wagon is $1.50 each. 
The excursion will occupy all of one day, and the delight 



WHITE MOUJ^TAIJ^ QUIDE. 153 

will amply repay one for the time spent. If for no 
other purpose than this, one should arrange to spend a 
day at Bay View House, Alton Bay. 

The steamer Mt. Washington, is a new iron steamer 
built expressly for the Lake. It makes regular trips, 
connecting with the railroads at Alton Bay and Wolf- 
borough, and with the stages at Centre Harbor. The 
tourist will flhd Capt. A. WiGGiN, formerly captaiu of 
the steamer Chocorua, a gentlemanly and agreeable 
commander. Capt. Wiggin is thoroughly acquainted 
with the lake, having been long connected with the lake 
steamers. 

The distance from Alton Bay to Wolfborough is 
about ten miles, and to Centre Harbor about thirty 
miles, thus sailing nearly the entire length of the lake. 
In fact no one who visits the lake should fail to take a 
trip to Alton Bay, if he come by the other route ; nor 
should he fail to take the trip to the Weirs, if his 
first impressions are received by the Alton Bay route, 
as there are beauties of scenery, which should not be 
lost, peculiar to each. 

Ahon Bay, originally christened " Merrymeeting 
Bay," seems entirely shut in by the hills which rise on 
each side, and by what, as you advance, proves to be 
an island in the distance. It is hardly necessary to do 
more than allude to the picturesque and varied scenery 
of this pleasant sail. The boat winds its way among 
the numerous islands, givmg the traveller occasional 
glimpses of the distant ranges of mountains in the 



154 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

north, as well as abundant opportunity to study the 
contour of the peaks upon the immediate borders of the 
lake. 

If it falls to the lot of the traveller to be near the lake 
on some bright moonlight evening, he should not fail to 
inquire if a moonlight excursion is to take place. These 
excursions are frequently made by parties from neigh- 
boring towns, who charter the boat for that purpose. 

WOLFBOROUGH. 

The village of Wolfborough is delightfully situated 
on two beautiful slopes of land rising from a bay of the 
lake. The Glendon House is near the wharf and rail- 
road-station, and will accommodate about 100 guests. 
The proprietor is J. L. Peavy. Price per day, $3.00. 
The Bellevue is a smaller hotel near by, under the 
charge of Daniel Horn. Price per day, $2.50. There 
are also numerous boarding-houses in the village, which 
are well filled during the season. The Pavilion, which 
is one of the largest and most comfortable houses in the 
region, is admirably situated on the rising ground. 
Both rooms and veranda command a lovely view across 
the beautiful bay, out upon the open lake, and across 
that to Belknap, whose noble form is grandly outlined 
against the southern sky. Mr. Andrews, recently of 
Kiarsarge House at Conway, and Mr. Whitney from 
Young's Hotel, Boston, are the present proprietors. 
Price per day, $4.00, with a reduction by the week. 

Visitors will be sure of receiving every attention they 
can desire, and will find the tables supplied with all the 



WHITE MOUJSTTAIJ^ GUIDE. 155 

delicacies of the season, and the rooms neat and airy. 
The hotel is a modern erection, and has just been en- 
larged by the addition of some thirty rooms. It has 
long bjen known to the travelling community, and has 
been a favorite resort for those who wish to spend a 
few weeks upon the shores of the lake. Horses and 
carriages can be obtained at the livery stables. Boats 
for fishing parties or sailing excursions are also to be 
had. 

CoppLE Crown Mountain, 

about 2100 feet higli, is five miles from Wolf borough, 
and may be easily ascended. Carriages from the hotel 
convey you within about a mile of the summit, from 
which point horses can be obtained for the ascent if 
desired. The carriage fare is $1.00, and the charge 
for the horse for the ascent fifty cents. The vieAV from 
the summit is thought by many to equal that from Red 
Hill, and is certainly very delightful. The lake, 
which forms a part of all views in this vicinity, is 
visible for nearly its whole length. Belknap and Gun- 
stock, with the mountains of the Merrimack valley, 
stretch away towards the west. To the south is a fine 
view of the more level part of the State, forest and 
meadow, with ponds and villages distinctly visible. 
The Ossipee and Sandwich ranges tower above the 
lake to the north-west. Almost due north, Chocorua, 
with Mount Washington proudly preeminent above it, 
indicates the region of the White Mountains. In a 
clear day the ocean can be seen. 



156 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

On the north-east is a smaller mountain, called 
" Tumble-down-Dick." This is more easily ascended 
than Copple Crown, and the view is quite similar. 

The Wolfborough Railroad is a branch of the Great 
Falls and Conway, about twelve miles long. By it a 
close rail connection is had with Conway, and cars also 
run direct to Boston, via Portsmouth. By the express 
trains a little over four hours is required to reach 
Wolfborough from Boston, leaving that city over the 
Eastern Railroad. Between Conway and Wolfborough 
the time is now about an hour. The distance from 
Boston is 110 miles. During the season of mountain 
travel, Pullman cars will be run on the express train. 
Between Boston and Portsmouth the road runs by the 
seashore. The opening of this branch road and the 
extension of the main line to North Conway have made 
Wolfborough the most important point on the lake. 
Ossipee, on the Great Falls and Conway Railroad, is 
nine miles from Wolfborough, and twenty-six miles from 
North Conway. This year (1876) a stage-line is to run 
between Wolfborough and Ossipee ; making the distance 
in about the same time as by rail, via the junction, ow- 
ing to the shorter distance. 

Centre Harbor 
is on the northern shore, near Squam Lake. The 
location is a beautiful one, and it has always been de- 
servedly popular. The Senter House, by J. L. Hun- 
tress, faces the lake. The view, from the piazza, of the 
quiet bay, sheltered by the hills, and guarded at its en- 



WHITE MOUJSTTjIIJV GUIDE. 



157 




trance by a little island, of the lake beyond, gleaming 
in the sunlight, and of the mountains which surround 
the lake, is exquisitely lovely. It has been often 
painted and engraved. The hotel, one of the best in 
the mountain region, is commodious and well furnished, 
and has been long and favorably known for the con- 
venience of its arrangements, the perfection of its table, 
and the courtesy of the proprietor. An extensive liv- 
ery stable is connected with the hotel. Moulton's 
Hotel, a smaller house near by, is well kept. 

The chief object of interest in the immediate vicin- 
ity of Centre Harbor is 



158 WHITE MOUJ^TJiIJ\r GUIDE. 



Red Hill. 

From tills lull, about four miles distant, in Moul- 
tonborough, the best view of the lake and circumja- 
cent scenery can be obtained. Its height, two thousand 
five hundred feet, places before the eye of the observer 
an extensive, varied, and picturesque tract of country, 
perhaps nowhere excelled in New England. It is by 
no means difficult to climb. There is a wagon-path to 
the base, and "thence well-trained horses convey you to 
the summit. The top is destitute of trees and bushes, 
and aifords an uninterrupted prospect far and wide. 
In clear days the peaks of the White Mountains are 
dimly discernible in the far north ; the Ossipee Moun- 
tains appear in the east ; a little to the north, Chocorua, 
recalling its Indian tradition, rears its craggy summit ; 
and still farther away the mountains of Maine close in 
the view. Kearsarge and Monadnock are plainly vis- 
ible at the south-west, with Belknap at the south-east. 
Squam Lake, six miles long, with its beautiful green 
islands, fringed with beaches of white sand, is glittering 
in the sunshine on the west. 

But to the south and cast lies Winnipesaukee, the 
gem of all New England lakes. The ascent of Red 
Hill is usually made in the forenoon ; but, to enjoy the 
exquisite loveliness of Winnipesaukee, it should be 
made in the afternoon or in the early morning. In the 
middle of the day the blinding glare of the sun upon 
the water almost robs it of the quiet beauty of its 
softness and harmony. But in the afternoon the suu 



WHITE MOUJ^TJllJ\r GUIDE. 159 

illumines with a genial glow the calm expanse of the 
distant surface of the lake ; the rippling waves just 
reflect its image ; the hundred islands assume their 
peculiar form of grace and loveliness ; the mountains 
on the opposite shore, from a glow of crimson, change 
to a brown purple, as the lingering rays of the setting 
sun leave them one by one ; while the advancing 
shadows of those nearer to you change to a new form 
the fairy outline of the lake. Beyond extends 

** A slumb'rous stretch of mountain-land, far seen, 
When the low westering day, with gold and green, 
Purple and amber, softly blended, fills 
The wooded vales, and melts among the hills." 

If, too, you are early riser enough to see, from its 
summit, the sun roll up majestically from behind the 
opposite hills, you will acknowledge that Lake Win- 
nipesaukee possesses a charm and beauty peculiar to 
itself. 

Coaches leave Centre Harbor for West Ossipee soon 
after the arrival of the morning boats, connectino- at 
that point, with trains over the Great Falls and Con- 
way Railroad, for Conway and North Conway. The 
distance to West Ossipee is eighteen miles ; from West 
Ossipee to North Conway, sixteen miles. The road 
passes by Red Hill, through Moultonbo rough and Tam- 
worth, and almost round Ossipee Mountain. Sandwich 
Mountain, Whiteface, and Chocorua are among the con- 
spicuous peaks on the left. No one who selects this 
route is likely to regret his choice, as the views are 
among the finest to be obtained in the mountain. 

11 



160 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

The Bear-camp River House is a small hotel, accom- 
modating about fifty guests at West Ossipee. 

The ascent of Chocorua can be conveniently made 
from this place. The best view of this mountain (" The 
Old Bear ") may also be had here. The mountain is 
one of the most notable of the lower peaks of the White 
Mountain range. It is 3,358 feet high, and without 
vegetation, other than such as a few blueberries or cran- 
berries create. It is, in fact, a granite mountain, with 
pinnacles and precipices, sharp, angular peaks and unex- 
pected descents, — a countless myriad of great bowlders, 
hurled together by more than Titanic force. One of the 
peaks of Chocorua is the scene of the tragic incident 
from which the peak derives its name, so beautifully 
narrated by Mrs. Seba Smith. 

Conway, 

though the gate to the mountain region, is one of the 
most level towns in the State. The hotels are the 
Grove House, by Edwin Pease ; the Pequawket House, 
by Daniel E. Pendexter, — each accommodating about 
fifty guests, at $2.00 per day ; and the Conway House, 
by L. H. Eastman, 100 guests, $3.00 per day. The 
latter is a modern house, thoroughly furnished. It is 
near the junction of the Swift and Saco Rivers, com- 
manding fine views of the mountains, and within easy 
reach of all the places of interest visited from North 
Conway. It is also at a convenient distance from 
Chocorua, so that the mountain may be ascended from 
this point. 



WHITE MOUJVTAI^r GUIDE, 161 

Five miles beyond Conway, in the valley of the Saco, 
and surrounded on all sides by mowntains, lies 

North Conway, 
the favorite resort of our New England artists. Many 
families visit this place in the summer season to avoid 
the noise, bustle, and expense of large hotels. The 
Saco River here is from ten to twelve rods wide, and 
usually about two feet deep. It has been known to 
rise thirty feet in twenty-four hours. The Kiarsargb 
House, by Thompson, Son, & Andrews, is a new and 
large hotel, such as has long been needed at this place. 
It is newly furnished, lighted with gas, and has ac- 
commodation for 300 guests. The price is $4.00 per 
day, with a liberal deduction by the week. The other 
hotels are the McMillan House, by John McMillan, 
the Washington House, by J. M. Gibson, the North 
Conway House, by N. R. Mason, the Sunset Pavil- 
LiON, by F. H. and M. L. Mason, the Intervale 
House, by Mudgett and Eastman, and the Randall 
House, by James T. Randall. The price at these 
houses is from $2.50 to $3.00 per day. There are also 
many boarding-houses in the town. 

Tlie village of North Conway is situated on the 
upland overlooking the intervals of the Saco. On the 
east is the range of hills, tht larger of which is called 
Middle Mountain, witl Kearsarge or Pequawket rising 
in lonely dignity a liitle to the north. On the west 



1G2 WHITE MOUJ^T^IJT GUIDE. 

bank of the river can be seen the group called Moat 
Mountain, with the peaks of Chocorua in the distance. 
But the chief and surpassing glory of the place is the 
view up the Saco Valley, with Mt. Washington in the 
distance, A finer view can nowhere be obtained of 
Mt. Washington and the attendant peaks. Although 
the appearance of the mountains is ever varying, — now 
by the position of the sun, now by the fogs and mists, 
and now by the clouds which sometimes entirely ob- 
scure the summits, — still the best time to gaze upon 
them is Avhen they are illuminated by the slanting 
rays of the sun at the close of a pleasant day. The 
shadows can be seen stealing up the mountain sides 
one by one, hastening with greater rapidity as they 
near their goal ; the summits farthest east of Washing- 
ton then lose their golden raiment, and adopt a more 
sombre hue ; then the peaks to the west, and finally 
Mt. Washington, as it was the first to greet, so it is 
the last to say farewell to the lingering rays of light. 
During the day the preeminence of Washington was 
distinctly visible, but now relieved against the sky it 
appears still more plainly. With the aid of a little 
imagination, a lay figure may be seen from their out- 
lines — Adams and Jefferson forming the head, Wash- 
ington the breast, and Webster and the other mountains 
the remainder of the body. 

There are several walks and drives in the vicinity 
of North Conway. The first of tliese excursions, to 
which we would call attention, is that to 



white moujvtmijv guide. 163 

Artist's Falls. 

To reach tliis charming, though quiet and retn-ed 
spot, you must retrace your steps for a short distance 
towards Conway. Just after crossing the bridge at the 
foot of a small hill, you turn abruptly to the left, leav- 
ing the road, and, after a walk of half a mile, you will 
reach the place. A little stream of water, Avhich once 
turned a mill-wheel, glides down a short descent. 
There is nothing wonderful or striking in the voluma 
of water or the greatness of the descent ; yet the 
beauty of the whole scene, the picturesque grouping of 
the rocks, and the grateful shade of the forest trees, 
have caused it to be frequently portrayed upon the 
canvas. Those who see it often are most impressed 
by its charms. 

Echo Lake, Cathedral, and the Ledges. 

These can perhaps be most conveniently visited in a 
single afternoon's ride. They are all situated on the 
opposite side of the river, about three miles distant. 
Echo Lake, a beautiful sheet of water lying at the very 
base of Mote Mountain, is well worth visiting, even 
were it wanting in the wonderful echo from which it 
derives its names. The stillness of the sunset hour 
seems most inspiring to the genius of the place. 

The " Wliite Horse." which is visible from the vil- 
lage, is a figure of a horse pictured upon the perpendic- 
ular sides of the cliffs. These cliffs extend along the 
mountain side for a distance of four or five miles. 



164 WHITE MOUJSTTJiLY GUIDE. 

They vary in heiglit from one to eight hundred feet. A 
ride directly along their base will give one a far better 
idea of their size than that gained from a distant view. 
The road is quite pleasant, winding along the bank of 
the Saco, and has many extended views. It is in one 
of these cliffs that "the Cathedral" is situated. This 
is a natural cavity formed in the solid granite. The 
wall, rising some eighty feet, gradually inclines out- 
ward, forming a magnificent arch, roofed with solid 
jrock. Trees, which have been for many years attain- 
ing their present size, form the other wall of this nat- 
ural temple. The floor, which is some twenty feet in 
width, is strewn with large blocks of granite, which 
have evidently fallen from the roof above. Though 
the ascent to the Cathedral is somewhat arduous, it is 
worth while to make the attempt. 

Diana's Bath 

is situated on the same side of the Saco, a little farther 
to the north than the Cathedral. It is one of the 
most beautiful places about Conway. It is necessary 
for one to see, in order to realize its exquisite beauty, 
as no description, however minute or elaborate, can 
convey an adequate idea of its peculiar charms. The 
approach is along a pleasant woodland path, from 
which you descend upon a slightly inclined table of 
granite, over which the water gently flows here and 
there in rivulets, broken into miniature falls by the jut- 
ting rocks. As you ascend the stream a little way you 
discover a beautiful fall, of some ten feet in height. 



WHITE MOUJ\rTAIJ^ GUIDE. 165 

The overhanging trees throw a pleasant shade around, 
inviting one to agreeable repose. Above this, and 
indeed in many places below, are great numbers of 
holes or basins in rock, smoothly polished by the ac- 
tion of the water. It is from these, or perhaps from 
the largest, which is not less than ten feet in diameter, 
and more than ten feet deep, that the place derives its 
name. As you look into the limpid water with which 
they are filled, sparkling like crystal in the sun, or 
calm and quiet under the shadow of some overhanging 
tree, so that you may almost see the water sprites float- 
ing in the depths, you will readily acknowledge it to be 
such a bath as the goddess would have chosen for her- 
self. An hour or two may be very agreeably spent in 
exploring the hidden beauties which are disclosed only 
to the observing eye. 

Mt. Pequawket, or Kiarsakge, 

which is about three miles distant from the village, is 
3,251 feet above sea-level. Several years ago a hotel 
was erected upon its summit, which has been recently 
repaired. The view from the observatory is superior to 
that obtained below, as it is unobstructed by the fore- 
ground. 

A carriage-road is in process of construction, which, 
when completed, will render the ascent very easy. The 
bridle-path is kept in good condition, and horses and 
a guide can be secured at the house near the base. $2 
are charged for each horse, and $2 more for the services 
of the guide. The ascent, however, is by no means 



166 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

difficult for pedestrians, and can safely be made with- 
out the guide. The time required for the ascent is not 
far from two hours. The path can be ascended with 
horses to the very summit. 

As this is the highest peak south of the mountains 
in this direction, the view from its summit is especially 
fine. The whole White Mountain range is visible, 
with Mt. Washington most prominent. Nothing inter- 
venes to cut off the view of the Avhole of the latter 
peak. The minor hills, which somewhat obstruct the 
view below, are entirely lost sight of by the great ele- 
vation. Then towards the south-east is seen the broad 
expanse of comparatively level land towards Portland. 
Sebago Lake, Lovewell's Pond, and many other smaller 
bodies of water, agreeably diversify the face of the 
country. Winnipesaukee Lake is hidden by the moun- 
tains upon its shores. The sharp peaks of Chocorua, 
w^ith the Moat and Middle Mountains in the fore- 
ground, can also be seen Avith great distinctness. The 
course of the Saco can be traced almost from its 
source, as it winds its Avay among the intervals, and 
finally bends away into Maine. A good glass will be 
of material aid. This mountain should by no means 
be neglected by those who are desirous to obtain the 
best views of the mountain ranges. It is undoubtedly 
the best point, on this side of the White Mountains, to 
obtain a good view of Mt. AYashington. 

The Hotel on the summit is kept by A. A. and J. 

W. Whitaker, and the price of board is $4.00 per day. 

Trains from Portland reach North Conway at 10 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 167 

A. M. and 3.45 P. M., and leave for Portland at 6.05 
A.M. and 12.10 P.M. The time between the two 
places is about two and a half hours. Trains leave 
Boston over the Eastern, Portsmouth, Great Falls, and 
Conway Railroads, and arrive at 1 and 7.30 P. M. The 
time by express-trains will be about five hours. 

Passengers for the Notch or the Glen House leave 
North Conway by the cars of the Portland and Ogdens- 
burgh Railroad ; those for the Glen House connecting 
with the stages at the Glen Station. There has also 
been a line of stages running all the way between the 
Glen and North Conway ; but it may not be kept up. 
The distance is twenty-one miles, and the fare $3. 

For further description, see p. 71. 



168 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 



BOSTON TO GORHAM, N. H., YIA PORTLAND. 



Express trains are now run over both the Boston 
and Maine, and Eastern Railroad, leaving Boston at 
8.30 in the morning, and reaching Portland in season 
for dinner. At 1 o'clock the cars leave the station of 
the Grand Trunk Railway for Gorham, N. H. There 
are also other trains during the day, besides a night 
express over the Eastern. 

There is, also, communication by steamboat be- 
tween Boston and Portland. Leaving Boston about 
seven in the evening, Portland is reached at five in the 
morning. Then by the first train on the Grand Trunk 
Railway, the traveller arrives at Gorham at 11 A. M., 
and at the Glen House, if he desires, by stage in 
season for dinner. The fare from Boston to Gorham, 
by a through ticket on the cars, is $5,50 ; by steam- 
boat and cars, $4.50. The distance from Boston to 
Portland by the shorter of the two railroad routes, 
is 107 miles; from Portland to Gorham, N. H., 91 
miles. 

On the route from Portland to Gorham there is 
nothing especially attractive in the scenery — nothing 



WHITE MOUJ\rTj^IJ\r GUIDE. 1C9 

that promises or hints the grandeur in reserve, until 
the train reaches 

Bryant's Pond. This lake in miniature, the source 
of the Little Androscoggin River, charmingly set 
among hills several hundred feet in height, is twenty- 
nine miles from Gorham. The pond and the track of 
the railroad lie about seven hundred feet above the sea 
level. 

Bethel 

which is the next point of interest, is the chief town 
of Oxford county, Maine, and probably the loveliest 
village of that State. It is twenty-one miles from 
Gorham. Travellers are as yet but little acquainted 
with its attractions. Bethel is, in truth, the North 
Conway of the eastern side of the Plills. If the ter- 
minus of the railroad were here, or if passengers were 
compelled to leave the cars at this point, and take 
stages to Gorham and the Glen, Bethel would be a 
dangerous rival to North Conway, and the ride from 
Bethel to Mount "VYashington would be pronounced 
superior, on some accounts, in charm, to the famous 
ride from Conway through Bartlett to the Notch. 

The meadows of Bethel are very lovely ; and on a 
clear afternoon, when the golden light falls aslant upon 
the fresh grass, throwing out long shadows from the 
trees, and the eye follows nortliAvard the narrowing 
line of hills along the course of the Androscoggin, and 



170 WHITE MOUJ^TjIIJV GUIDE. 

catches the sharp edges of the great White Mountain 
range sweeping across and closing up the vista, it is 
difficult to conceive where an artist can find a more 
tempting picture in New England. There are several 
hills, too, in and near the village, easily accessible, 
around which the most fascinating panoramas of 
forests, hills, rivers, lakes, meadows, and mountain 
majesty are displayed. Bethel will, we predict, at 
some time not very far distant, be sought as a board- 
ing-place during the summer by those who love charm- 
ing scenery with more quiet than the prominent White 
Mountain routes and hotels afford. 

The Chandler House, by F. S. Chandler, is the 
principal hotel in the place. It will accommodate from 
75 to 100 guests. Travellers can procure teams from 
him to visit places of interest in the neighborhood. 
Like Conway, Bethel is a favorite place of resort for 
persons seeking a quiet boarding place among the 
mountains. There is a delightful drive of twelve miles 
to the grand water sculpture of the Albany Basins, 
which are worn out of the solid srranite. Eio^hteen 
miles in the opposite direction one finds the Rumford 
Falls. The road to these falls is excellent, the scenery 
on the way very lovely, and the falls themselves hardly 
inferior to any in New England. The full tide of the 
Androscoggin makes a descent here of one hundred and 
sixty feet in three pitches, and within the space of a 
quarter of a mile. There is one sheer descent of seventy 
feet. The drive may be one way on one side and the 
return on the opposite side of the Androscoggin, through 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 171 

beautiful meadows, with fine views of Kiarsarge, Cho- 
corua, and the White Mountain Range. The Green- 
wood caves are also to be visited on this route. 

Lake Umbagog 

is best visited from this point. It is 26 miles from 
Bethel, with a regular stage connection. On leav- 
ing Bethel, the Androscoggin is followed for six miles 
to Newry Corner. Thence the route lies up the Bear 
River, a small mountain stream to the well-known 
Poplar Tavern, kept by Charles Bartlett, which 
is twelve miles from Bethel. Three miles from this 
place, at Fanning's Mills are the " Screw Auger Falls," 
which are well worth visiting. Starting early in the 
morning from Bethel, this portion of route can be visited 
and Bethel reached the same night. If possible, how- 
ever, the journey should be continued through the Bear 
River Notch, also called, we believe, Grafton Notch, 
which is the most impressive mountain pass in this 
section of the State. The Lake House, kept by H. 
R. Goodwin, is on the shore of Umbagog Lake. 

• Dixville Notch, which is nineteen miles from this 
place, is accessible from this point. The route is by 
steamer across the Lake to Errol Dam, and thence by 
private conveyance ten miles further. We shall speak 
of Dixville Notch, more at length hereafter. 

Angler's Retreat 
is sixteen miles above the Lake House. It is a great 



172 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

place of resort for fishermen from all parts of the 
country. It is kept by the proprietor of the Lake 
House, and has accommodations for about thirty guests. 
The spotted brook-trout are the only trout found in the 
chain of lakes of which Umbagog is the lower. They 
range from one to eight pounds in weight, and the 
fishing in this vicinity is probably unsurpassed in New 
England. 

From Bethel to the station in Gorham the scenery 
through w^hich the cars pass is very fascinating. Three 
villages, charmingly located to increase the beauty 
of the landscape, lie in full view from the train, — 
"West Bethel, Gilead, and Shelburne. About a mile 
from the station in Gilead the boundary line of Maine 
is passed, and the traveller is among the New Hamp- 
shire hills. Especially fortunate are those who see this 
scenery for the first time in the rich light of a clear 
summer afternoon. The sight of the brilliant meadows, 
spotted wdth elins, — of the graceful curves of the An- 
droscoggin, studded with islands ; of the brawny hills 
that guard it, among which the train flies along a 
twisted track ; and, now and then, of the long, firmly- 
cut lines of the White Mountain ridge shooting across 
the north, until in Shelburne, Madison, and the peak 
of Jefferson, and the bulk of Washington, spring out 
for a few minutes in full view, — almost banishes the 
fatigue of a hot day's ride, and prepares the visitor for 
the pleasures in store after his arrival in Gorham, at 
the Alpine House. 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 173 

The route through the mountain region from this 
point is described on the 14:th and following pages. 

But we must here speak of two excursions to other 
points of interest connected directly with the White 
Mountains on their eastern side. 

WiLLOUGHBY LaKE 

must not be overlooked. This is a small sheet of 
water, six miles in length, and from one to two in 
width, charmingly set between steep granite moun- 
tains in the northern part of Vermont. There is a 
fine hotel on the border of the lake, kept by Alonzo 
Bemis. Passengers can leave Gorham about noon by 
cars, stop at the Island Pond House for dinner, and 
take the stage thence for Willoughby Lake, which will 
be reached by tea-time. More will be said of this lake 
in another connection, 

Memphremagog Lake 
may also be reached from Island Pond by stage. The 
distance to Newport, at the head of the lake, is about 
the same as to Willoughby. The traveller may also 
continue his journey to Sherbrooke, whence a stage- 
ride of sixteen miles will convey him to Outlet Vil- 
lao'e, on the northern shore of the lake. The lake 
will be described more at length hereafter. The fare 
to Newport or Willoughby Lake from Island Pond is 
one dollar. 



174 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

Island Pond is the "half-way" station between 
Portland and Montreal. It is a charming spot. The 
pond is directly in front of the station-house. 



DixviLLE Notch. 

The Dixville hills lie in the extreme northern por- 
tion of New Hampshire, some sixty miles beyond the 
Washington range. It is very seldom that a tourist 
strays so far from the regular routes ; but the geolo- 
gists have long been acquainted with the interesting 
scenery of the region, and have called attention to it 
in reports of their surveys. Dr. Jackson, in his 
great work on the Geology of New Hampshire, 
speaks of the Dixville Notch as more Alpine in its 
character than any other pass of our New England 
mountains, and predicts that its grandeur will yet 
make it a place of large resort. 

Since the completion of the Grand Trunk Railway, 
it has become easily accessible, and should be more 
widely known. One can leave Boston at seven o'clock 
in the morning, and sleep the same night within ten 
miiles of the Notch, reaching it early in the forenoon of 
the second day ; or take the eleven o'clock train from 
the Alpine House in Gorham, and in an hour and a half 
be landed at North vStratford, Avhich lies on the Con- 
necticut River, thirty-six miles from Gorham. The 



WHITE MOUJ^TjIIJV GUIDE. 175 

railroad ride is very pleasant. The track lies along 
the narrow and winding valley of the Androscoggin, 
hemmed in by grand and gloomy hills, until it bends 
toward the more cheerful Connecticut. Then it winds 
up around the base of the singular, bleached, twin 
cones called tlie Stratford Peaks. 

At North Stratford a wagon-stage is in readiness, 
on the arrival of the noon and evening trains, to con- 
vey passengers to Coiebrook. If there is no stage, an 
extra wagon can be hired at slight expense. The ride 
to Coiebrook, up the Connecticut, is charming. Fre- 
quently a view of a broad interval, with the glittering 
river sweeping through it in a lordly curve, will make 
a man regret that the slow pace of the horses could not 
be retarded, in order that he might more leisurely feast 
his eyes. 

Coiebrook may also be reached over the Boston, 
Concord, and Montreal Railroad. The train reaches 
Groveton Junction, the terminus of that road, at about 
7 o'clock, in season to connect with the noon train from 
Portland, and arriving at Stratford at the same time as 
by the other route, and making the same connections 
by stage to Coiebrook, thirteen miles distant, passing 
through the beautiful Valley of the Upper Connecticut. 

Coiebrook is quite a flourishing village on the New 
Hampshire side of the river, and laying in the eastern 
shadow of a massive and majestic mountain which the 
inhabitants call Monadnoc. This hill lies just beyond 
the river in Vermont, and is really quite imposing by 

12 



176 WHITE MOU^TTAIJ^ GUIDE. 

its bulk and glorious verdure. It must spring more 
than two thousand feet from the stream at its base. 
One arrives in Colebrook usually about four in the 
afternoon. Dixville Notch is only ten miles distant. 
But there is no public house near it, and it is best to 
pass the night at the inn kept, we believe, by Mr. 
Cummings, in Colebrook, and called the Mouadnoc 
House. There is also a new hotel here called the 
Parsons House. One had better leave the hotel about 
seven the next morning for the Notch, and give the 
whole day to the excursion. The road is very good, 
but rises steadily the whole distance ; so that the ten 
miles demand three hours' riding. Travellers will be 
much struck with the general excellence of the land 
along the way. It is the best farming region of the 
Granite State ; and the fields are so free from stones 
that it is quite impossible to have stone walls for 
boundaries. The last two miles of the ride wind 
throus^h the OTandest forest one will find in his moun- 
tain travels. Every variety of tree is represented 
along the way, and generally of much larger growths 
than are met before. A person will begin to doubt 
whether there is any mountain magnificence near, so 
closely is the road shut in by the forest Suddenly the 
heavy walls of the Dixville range begin to show them- 
selves ahead. And while one is admiring their dark 
and grave sides of shadowed foliage, wondering where 
the pass he is in search of can open, a turn of the 
road to the right brings the wagon in front of the bare 
and savage jaws of the Notch, at its western entrance. 



WHITE MOUJSTTJllJSr GUIDE. 



177 




The first view of it is very impressive. It opens like 
a Titanic gateway to some region of vast and mysteri- 
ous desolation. The pass is much narrower than 
either of the more famous ones in the White Moun- 
tains, and, through its whole extent of a mile and a 
quarter, has more the character of a Notch. One can- 
not but feel that the mountain was rent apart by some 
volcanic convulsion, and the two sides left to tell the 
story by their correspondence and the naked dreariness 
of the pillars of rotting rock that face each other. So 
narrow is the ravine (it can hardly be called a pass) 
that a rough and precarious roadway for a single car- 
riage could only be constructed by building up against 
the mountain's side a substructure of rude masonry, 
while the walls slope upward so sharply on either 



178 WHITE MOUJ^TJlIJr GUIDE. 

hand that a considerable outlay is demanded of the 
State every year to clear it of the stones and earth 
which the frosts and rain roll into it every winter and 
spring. 

No description can impart an adequate conception 
of the mournful grandeur of the decaying cliffs of mica 
slate which overhang the way. They shoot up in most 
singular and fantastic shapes, and vary in height from 
four hundred to eight hundred feet. A few centuries 
ago the pass must have been very wild, but the pin- 
nacles of rock, which give the scenery such an Alpine 
character, are rapidly crumbling away. Some have 
decayed to half their original height ; and the side 
walls of the Notch are strewn with debris, which the 
ice and storms have pried and gnawed from the decre- 
pit cliffs. The whole aspect is one of ruin and wreck. 
The creative forces seem to have retreated from the 
spot, and abandoned it to the sport of the destructive 
elements. One might entertain the thought that some 
awful crime had been committed there, for which the 
region was blasted by a lasting curse. The only life in 
the Notch belongs to the raspberry vines. It seems to 
be the paradise of this delicious fruit. 

One should climb the highest pinnacle, called Table 
Kock, which juts out from the southerly Avali of the 
pass, and stands about eight hundred feet above the 
road. It is no easy task to keep the footing in the 
steep ascent over the loose and treacherous ruins of 
slate that strew the way. Hands and feet are neces- 
sary. Table Rock is a narrow, projecting ledge, only 



WHITE MOUJVr^IJV GUIDE. 179 

some six or eight feet wide at the summit, and about a 
hundred and fifty feet long, rising in an ahnost un- 
broken precipice on each side for several hundred feet. 
The descent is even more arduous than the ascent. It 
will be found, however, that the view from the summit 
repays the toil of the scramble. It is no small trial for 
weak nerves to walk out upon the side of the Notch 
upon this cliff, not more than six feet wide and eight 
hundred feet sheer down. No part of the ride up Mt. 
Washington makes the head swim so giddily. From 
it one can easily see into Maine, Vermont, and Canada. 
Only a few miles east lies Lake Umbagog, where the 
moose congregate In the evening to stand up to their 
neck in water and " fight flies," as the guides express It. 
About ten miles north is Lake Connecticut, a beautiful 
sheet of water, mother of the noble river Avhich is the 
pride of New England. A tourist might spend a few 
days very profitably in exploring the novelties of the 
districts that lie around the Notch. On the face of this 
clifi', seen from below, some locate the usual Profile, 
without which a mountain pass is regarded as incom- 
plete. 

After about an hour's stay upon the pinnacle, one 
should descend and ride through the pass to a flume 
just before the eastern gateway is reached. Nearly 
opposite the entrance to the flume will be found a re- 
markably cold spring. On the opposite side of the 
road, in the woods, just beyond the Notch, there is a 
series of beautiful cascades, extending nearly a mile, 
surpassed in beauty and volume by none iu the whole 



180 WHITE MOUJVTMIJSr GUIDE. 

White Mountain region. There is no path to these, and 
it will be found a difficult task to reach them. 

The grand distinctive features of Dixville Notch are 
desolation and decay. How charming, then, the sur- 
prise, in passing through the Notch eastward, to ride 
out from its spiky teeth of slate into a most lovely 
plain, called '' The Clear Stream Meadows," em- 
bosomed in mountains, luxuriantly wooded to the 
crown; It is somethins; like descendino: from the 
desolation of the Alps into the foliage and beauty of 
Italy. The only house near was accidentally burned 
a few years since. The graves of the earliest settler 
and his wife are there, fenced off rudely, and over- 
grown with the tall weeds which nature wears for 
them. How many of the great and wealthy of our land 
will find such a cemetery ? A mountain range for a 
monument ; a luxuriant valley for a grave ; such 
silence to sleep in as no Mt. Auburn can assure, and 
their story told to visitants from far-off portions of the 
land ! 

Returning through the whole length of the Notch, 
Colebrook is reached again by supper-time. The next 
morning, one can take the stage-wagon to North Strat- 
ford, and thenCe reach Gorham by cars early in the 
forenoon. Thus the whole journey from the Alpine 
House, or Glen House, to Dixville Notch, and back 
again, can be made in two days, and nearly the whole 
of one day will be passed in the Notch. It is also one 
of the cheapest excursions which the mountain region 
affords. 



WHITE MOUJ^TAIJ^ GUIDE. 181 

Tourists, who prefer a longer excursion, can provide 
themselves at the Alpine House with a light wagon, 
stout horses, and careful driver, and make the circuit 
through Dixville Notch at their leisure. Instead of 
returning by the same route, they would in that case 
pass on from the Notch to Erol Dam, at the head 
waters of the Androscoggin ; spend a few days on 
Umbagog and its sister lakes, of which Theodore Win- 
throp writes so pleasantly, and return to the White 
Mountains through Grafton Notch in Maine, and the 
beautiful meadows of Bethel. To the sportsman, no 
trip can be more attractive, for nowhere are the trout 
finer or more plentiful. Tlie scenery, too, is very fine. 
Grafton Notch, of wliich we had never heard until we 
were at its portals, and saw the gleaming pennant of 
a mountain-king flung out athwart the emerald fresh- 
ness of its southern slope, is destined yet to be immor- 
tal. In the loveliness of its scenery, and its manifold 
objects of interest, it may contest the palm with Fran- 
eonia. There is a wonderful chasm here, wdiose walls 
are as high and as perpendicular as tliose of the 
Flume. It is only accessible from above. At the 
bottom flows a large and noisy stream, which, as if the 
gloom of the lofty walls which hem it in, and the som- 
bre stillness of the surrounding forest did not suffi- 
ciently guard its privacy, plunges beneath a huge mass 
of superincumbent rock — a rock which would be a 
landmark in Massachusetts or Rhode Island — and 
disappears from sight. Local tradition gives to this 
striking spot the name of Moose Chasm. It was dis- 



182 WHITE moujvtjiijv guide. 

covered by a hunter, whose game suddenly disappeared 
from his sight, and left him gazing down into the dark 
abyss, which the deer had in vain sought to leap. 

The roads Avhich are traversed on this route are 
hilly, but, Avith the exception of that through Dixville' 
Notch, in good condition. Hotels are scarce, but an 
abundance of good, homely fare can be obtained at the 
scattered farm-houses, and a comfortable night's rest 
could be had before the Avar for a shilling. The trav- 
eller in this region w^ould do well to keep a day's ra- 
tions by him in case of emergency ; but it is generally 
safe to rely on the country through which you j)ass. 

Portland to the White Mountain Notch over 
THE Portland and Ogdensburgh Railiioad. 

The distance from Portland to the Fabyan House, 
where connection is made with the Boston, Concord, and 
Montreal Railroad, is ninety-one miles. Of the upper 
portion of the road from Glen Station (66 miles from 
Portland) we have already spoken, as a part of the 
route throuMi the mountains. The trains connect at 
Portland with the trains over the Boston and Maine 
and Eastern Railroads. This road, when completed, 
will connect Portland with the Hne of road leading to 
the west, north of Lake Cham plain, and furnish a more 
direct route than the Grand Trunk. 

The road passes along the shores of the famed Sebago 
Lake, which supplies the city of Portland with water. 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 183 

The first station of interest is at the Lake Station, 
seventeen miles from Porthmd. This lake is fourteen 
miles long, and eleven broad. Two steamboats ply upon 
its waters and those of the Sango River and Long 
Lake. The trip over the lake, up ihe Sango River and 
Long Lake and return, may be made in one day if 
desired. On Raymond Cape, about five miles from the 
landing, are the " Images," a curious mass of rocks, that 
rise perpendicularly some seventy feet, and then slope 
about thirty feet more in fanciful shapes. The water at 
the base is eighty-five feet deep. In these rocks is a 
cave some twenty-five feet deep, frequented by Nathaniel 
Hawthorne in his youth. 

After an hour's sail on the lake, the Sango River is 
reached. This is but two miles and a half in air-line 
from source to outlet ; but the boat sails six miles to 
reach its end. The passage of this sinuous stream 
affords many pleasant pictures. Near the head of the 
stream is a lock, through which the steamer passes ; and, 
after a mile more, Long Lake is reached. A sail of nine 
miles carries one to Bridgton wharf, the end of naviga- 
tion. 

If a stay is contemplated, there are two hotels, the Cum- 
berland House and the Bridgton House. From here an 
excursion may be made to Mt. Pleasant, distant about six 
miles. This mountain is 2,01 8 feet high, and there is a car- 
riasre-road two miles to the summit. The fare from Port- 
land to Bridgton and return is $2.50 ; to Mt. Pleasaant 
and return, $5. Leaving the Lake Station, the road passes 
through many pleasant villages ; following the Saco, 



184 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

after leaving the lake. About nine miles from North 
Conway is 

Fryeburg, the seat of a flourishing Academy. The 
Oxford House in this place is kept by Mr. John 
Smith, for many years stage owner and driver between 
Conway, N. H., and Portland, Me. There are many 
places of interest in this town. Stark's Hill, about 
five hundred feet high ; Jockey Cap, somewhat cele- 
brated for its peculiar geological formation ; Lovewell's 
Pond, on the shores of which Capt. Lovewell, in 1725, 
fought a battle with the Pequaket tribe of Indians, 
under their chief, Paugus ; and Pine Hill, are all within 
a short distance of the hotel. Pleasant Mountain, 
about nine miles distant, in an easterly direction, in 
full view from the village, is about three thousand feet 
high ; there is a public house on its summit for the 
accommodation of visitors. 

Fine distant views of the mountains are gained all 
along the route. CouAvay and the route to the Notch 
are spoken of on the 160th and following pages. 



II. BOSTON TO WHITE MOUNTAIN NOTCH, VIA DO- 
VER, ALTON BAY, WOLFBOROUGH, CENTRE HAR- 
BOR, AND CONWAY. 

Distance from Boston to Alton Bay, ninety-six miles. 

The distance from Boston to Centre Harbor, by this 

route, is greater than by the route througli Concord, 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 185 

N. H. But the ride by rail is seven miles shorter, while 
an additional twenty miles of Lake Winnipesaukee is 
traversed on board the steamer. The new steamer Mt. 
Washington, under the charge of Capt. A. Wiggin, now 
runs in the place of the old steamer Dover. This is a 
most comfortable and rapid boat, and Capt. Wiggin is 
a very pleasant and gentlemanly commander, and has 
been connected with the steamer Dover since it was 
first built. The time is nearly the same as by the 
route via Concord. The cars leave Boston at the same 
time, and the boat reaches Centre Harbor about half 
ao hour later than by the Concord route, but in season 
for the stages for Conway. 

The tourist leaves Boston by the cars of Boston and 
Maine Railroad, from Haymarket Square, at 7.30 
A. M., reaching Alton Bay about 12 o'clock. Tlie train 
that leaves Boston at 12 o'clock reaches here about 
4.30 P. M., connecting with the steamer Mt. Wash- 
ington for Wolfeborough and Centre Harbor. For a 
further description of the route and of the lake, see 
page 14G. 



III. BOSTON TO WHITE MOUNTAINS, YIA CONCORD, 

N. H. 

The traveller leaves Boston for Concord, either by 
the cars of the Boston and Maine Railroad, from 
Haymarket Square, or of the Lowell Railroad, from 
Causeway Street. Should he take the former route, 
he w^ill pass to Lawrence, where the Manchester and 



^^^ WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE, 

Lawrence Railroad diverges from the Boston and 
Maine, and passes on to Manchester, where a union 
is effected with the train on the Concord Raih'oad from 
below. 

On leaving Boston by i\\Q Boston and Lowell Rail- 
road, the traveller will pass through Lowell and Nashua 
to Manchester, where the trains intersect as above. 

Eighteen miles farther is Concord, the capital of 
New Hampshire. The amount of railroad building, 
Avork, furniture, etc., here visible, is probably greater 
than in any place of even twice its size throughout the 
country. It is the depot of four distinct railways, and 
at the hours of half past ten and three, when the great 
trains, northward and southward, are made up, a Tcene 
of apparently irremediable confusion is presented to 
the spectator, not unfrequently adorned with quite novel 
and amusing incidents. 

From Concord four distinct routes to the mountain 
region present themselves to the traveller. One is over 
the Northern, and the other three over the Montreal 
Railroad. 

1. Concord to Franconia, via Northern, Connec- 
ticut, and Passumpsic, and White Mountains Railroad 
Distance 140 miles; from Boston, 212. Fare from 
Boston to Franconia, $9.00; from Concord, $6.75. 
T:me from Boston, 12 hours. 

Tlie Northern Railroad extends from Concord to 
White River Junction, following the course of the 
Merrimack as far as Franklin, when it crosses to the 
Connecticut over the high lands of central New Ilamp- 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 187 

shire. The road is admirably conducted, and furnishes 
a favorite route. At Fisherville the road crosses the 
Contoocook River and Dustin's Island, so named from 
its being the camping ground of a party of Indians, 
from whom a captive woman, Mrs. Dustin, made 
her escape in colonial times. Just before reaching 
Franklin the traveller will notice, upon the right of 
the track, the former residence of the late Hon. Daniel 
Webster. It is a comfortable, old-fashioned house, 
among the trees, and just the place to furnish repose 
to the statesman jaded in the conflicts of party and 
of the forum. Franklin is a busy village. At Pot- 
ter Place may be seen, on the left of the track, 

Mt. Kearsarge. 

This is the mountain for which the steamer was 
named that was afterwards immortalized by the de- 
struction of the " Alabama." Near the summit, and 
commanding a fine view of the surrounding country, is 
an excellent hotel, named in honor of the commander of 
the " Kearsarge " the Winslow House. The ascent to 
the summit from the hotel is easy, and the view de- 
lightful. The mountain is 2,461 feet hioh. 

On the right of the track, about two miles before 
reaching Potter Place, is the Procter House, a new 
and convenient hotel, accommodating about 150 guests. 
This hotel is open during the whole year, mider the 
management of John S. Thompson. Price, $3 a day, 
or $14 to $20 per week. 



188 fVHITE MOUJ^'TAIJ^ QUIDE. 

White River Junction, where the road crosses the 
Connecticut, and a union is effected with the trains 
from the valley of the Connecticut. This place is im- 
portant only from the fact that it is the convergent 
and divergent point of the eight railroad trains, which 
here meet and separate over the Passumpsic, Northern, 
and Vermont Central Railroads. It is distant from 
New York, 265 miles ; from Boston, 152 via Fitch- 
burg, 142 via Lowell ; from Wells River 40 ; from 
Willoughby Lake 80 ; and from Franconia Notch 60 
miles. There is often considerable confusion here, 
occasioned by the arrival and departure of the numer- 
ous trains, and by the efforts of passengers going in 
different directions to secure their proper conveyance. 
In the calmest state of mind, however, let the tourist, 
after refreshment, for which there is ample time, step 
into the cars of the Passumpsic Railroad, sure that he 
is right, and he Avill soon go ahead through, perhaps, 
the most delightful region of country which he has 
yet seen. 

The Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad 
connects White River with the Grand Truuk Railway 
at Lennoxville, and forms the most direct line between 
New York and Quebec. 

The extent and variety of the scenery on this por- 
tion of the route are greater than is ever imagined by 
those who have never visited it. The great diversity 
and contrast of the views are alone sufficient to aston- 
ish and delight. Hill and valley, precipice and plain, 



WHITE MOUJ^TAJJT GUIDE. 189 

— sharp, angular declivities, without a vestige of ver- 
dure, and smooth, smiling meadow lands, covered 
with the greenest sward and the heaviest crops ; a 
great surface of river on the one hand, unruffled and 
seemingly motionless, a little mountain stream on 
the other, dashed into foam by the speed of its descent, 

— all these totally different and dissimilar prospects 
are so intermingled Avith one another as to be a con- 
stant source of surprise and satisfaction. 

But, divested of these more distant views, there is 
still something startling in the sudden changes pre- 
sented to the eye over the very track itself: at one 
instant the cars are sweeping smoothly along the 
most beautiful of meadows ; the next they are, appar- 
ently, penned within the solid rock, that rises fifty 
feet upon either hand ; they dash out upon a great em- 
bankment, that is invisible, and seemingly fly across 
the chasm which is beneath ; they tremble along the 
lofty grade, which falls precipitously into the darkness 
and resonance of a bridge ; emerge to sunlight by the 
side of some beautiful pond, and slowly draw to a 
halt in a quiet New England village. 

Mt. Cuba, Sunday Mountain, Black Mountain, Mt. 
Sago, and Moosilauke are among the peaks near the 
railroad, and visible in this part of the journey. 

New^bury, thirty-five miles from White River, is 
chiefly noted for its Sulphur Springs, as infallible a 
specific as patent medicine for many diseases. Mt. 
Pulaski is not far distant. From its summit a lovely 
view is presented of the Connecticut valley, its wide- 



190 WHITE MOUJVTjilJ^ GUIDE. 

spread farms and thriving villages. Passing througli 
a tremendous cut in the solid rock, we reach 

Wells River, the junction of the Montreal, the 
Passumpsic, and the White Mountains Railroads. 
The latter is the road necessary for reaching Franco- 
nia. There is no detention, and the cars are soon 
making their way up the Ammonoosuc River. 

Littleton is the terminus of railroad travel for 
persons going to the Profile House, aad is reached 
about five o'clock, P. M. Stages are in readiness to 
start immediately for the Franconia Notch, distant 
twelve miles. Fare $2.00. 

Having taken on board the evening mail for the 
denizens of the mountain region, the stage-coaches are 
off upon their course for the long-desired goal. For 
twelve miles the road winds along in the valleys, and 
ascends the hills through the scattered village of Franco- 
nia. The land rises on either side, its highest elevations 
softly burnished by the setting sun. The mountains in 
the distance glow with a more radiant light. Gradually 
the shadows steal up their sides as the sun goes down. 
Darkness settles in the valley. The passengers beguile 
the Avay with " Stage Coach Stories," or gaze in ad- 
miring silence on the varied landscape, as the " last 
rays of departing day linger and play upon the sum- 
mits " of the neighboring hills. The peaks of the 
Franconia Mountains loom up with gloomy outline on 
the evening sky. An occasional cabin is now only to 
be seen along the roadside. Soon even this slight 
symptom of human life disappears. In the deepening 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 191 

shades of evening the coach rattles, for two or three 
miles, through a gloomy piece of dark forest ; and by 
eight o'clock the careful driver has brought his pre- 
cious freight safely to the door of the hotel. The 
bright lights, the cosey fire in the open chimney, the 
sounds of merry voices, and the cordial greetings of 
friends, welcome the arriving party to the abundant 
cheer and the generous hospitality of the Profile 
House. 

Passengers for the Twin Mountain House, the Fa- 
byan House, or the Crawford House, do not leave the 
cars here, but are carried over the " wing road " to their 
destination. The train also continues on the main road 
to Lancaster and Northumberland, at which latter place 
connection is made with the Grand Trunk Railway. 

Lancaster, N. H, 

This is the shire-town of Coos county, and is set 
amid some of the noblest and loveliest scenery of New 
England. The whole range of the White Mountains, 
the great Franconia Hills, the Stratford Peaks, and 
many of the Green Mountains, are in full view from 
some of its streets. Then, too, the Connecticut mead- 
ows are among the finest here which the river can boast 
in its whole extent. The drives in the neiorhborhood, 
on either side the Connecticut, are misurpassed, proba- 
bly, in New England ; for the roads are excellent, and 
the views are very various. The Lancaster House is 
a spacious hotel kept by E. Stanton & Co. 

13 



192 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 



Lakes Willoughbt and Memphremagog. 

Those who desire to visit Lakes Willoughby and 
Memphremagog, Avill continue their journey from 
Wells River over the Connecticut and Passumpsic 
Railroad to St. Johnsbmy and Newport, without 
change of cars. At West Burke, thirty-seven miles 
from Wells River, stages leave for Lake Willoughby 
on the arrival of the cars. The distance is five miles. 
Those who intend to proceed directly to Lake Mem- 
phremagog, will continue their journey twenty-eight 
miles to Newport. 

The ride from Wells River up the valleys of the 
Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers is very charming. 
The Connecticut is left at Barnet. Now continually 
crossing and recrossing the Passumpsic, the road 
winds its way through a wild and picturesque portion 
of the country. At every village there is a fall. In- 
deed, a mill seems to have been the occasion of the 
clustering houses in the early settlement of the coun- 
try. Several of these invite a much closer inspection 
than the hurrying train wall allow. The traveller 
will do well, if he can, to particularly observe the 
rapids and falls just before reaching the town of Lyn- 
don. The railroad crosses the river just at the head 
of the fall. St. Jolmsbury, which is twenty miles 
from Wells River, is the most considerable town on 
tliis portion of the line. 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 193 

"Willougliby and Memphremagog should not be 
omitted from the programme of pleasure travel. 
They abound in pleasant scenery, and can now be 
reached at a moderate expense and with comparative 
ease. The lakes and streams emptying into them, 
and the circumjacent ponds, abound in trout and 
other kinds of fish. The hills upon the shore lie 
pleasantly basking in the sunshine, and the whole 
place ever breathes the sweet influence of contentment 
and peace. Those who know the region, and the 
route thither, need not be reminded of its quiet and 
repose, while those who have yet the pleasure in 
reserve, need but a single suggestion to induce them 
to test its attractions. 

"VYlLLOUGHBY LaKE 

is a beautiful sheet of water, between six and seven 
miles in lengtli, and varying from half a mile to two 
miles in width. It is of a crescent shape, with little 
inlets and promontories along its shores. As you ap- 
proach from the south, there suddenly rise up before 
you two mountain peaks, so near and so like each 
other, that you are almost persuaded that they have 
been separated by human effort. Between these, and 
extending still farther to the north, lies the lake. 
It is within a gap or chasm of the Green Mountain 
range, and forms a great reservoir for the brooks in 
the immediate vicinity. The waters of the lake dis- 
charge, through a small stream, into the St. Francis, 
and thence into the St. Lawrence. The brooks and 



194 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

rivulets, however, which are crossed a few rods before 
reaching the hotel, flow into the Passumpsic and down 
the Connecticut. 

The loveliness of the lake is greatly enhanced by 
the rough and precipitous scenery around it. The 
lake is all beauty and repose, while the mountains, 
rising so abruptly from the shore that there is room 
for little more than a carriage-way, are rough and an- 
gular. 

At some remote day the two peaks that now tower 
on either side of the lake undoubtedly formed a single 
summit, and were separated by some of the volcanic 
throes whose traces are so visible throuirhout this 
region. Mt. Ananance, the peak upon the eastern 
shore, is one thousand nine hundred and fifty feet high. 
It receives its name from a chief of the St. Francis 
tribe Avhich once lived here. A modern attempt to 
christen it " Pisgah" has fortunately been unsuccessful. 
The unnamed summit confronting Mt. Ananance, on 
the opposite side of the lake, is fifteen hundred feet 
high. Here, a short distance from the water, there is 
a sparse growth of pine, fir, spruce, cedar, and hemlock, 
rapidly dwindling into dwarf birch and shrubs. The 
soil they cover is thin and rocky, evidently a detritus 
from the mountains. This vegetation is on an angle, 
from the side of the mountain, of at least forty-five 
degrees, and extends up about six hundred feet. It is 
terminated by the solid rock, which rises from above the 
tree-tops a thousand feet perpendicularly. A forest of 
stunted pine and hemlock bristles around the summit, 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 



195 



cleared away, however, for a little space on the highest 
elevation, so as to afford a view of the surrounding 

country. 

From this observatory, easily attained on horseback, 
and nearly reached with a carriage, there is a most 
beautiful landscape visible. Lake Memphremagog and 
Owl's Head Mountain are twenty miles to the north ; 
Lake Champlain and its shipping fifty miles to tlie 
westward ; every prominent part of the White Moun- 
tains, the entire range of the Green Mountains, Massa- 
weepee Lake, — the beautiful pond in Westmoreland 
Burke and Newark, — are all fairly visible from the 
summit of Mt. Ananance. 

Near the "Devil's Den," — a doubtful-looking hole 
in the rock, about midway doAvn the lake shore, — it is 
said no soundings can be obtained, although fabulous 
quantities of line have been expended in the attempt. 
Above this spot, some six hundred feet on the hillside, 
and just at the base of a precipitous rock, there is what 
has been named the Flower Garden — a spot where all 
varieties of wild plants grow and blossom. And still 
hio-her than the Flower Garden, in the rock itself, 
where the foot of man never trod, and probably never 
will, is the Eagle's Eyry. All these spots, and the 
traces of many an avalanche and land-slide, may be 
seen by the tourist in sailing down the lake. 

The WiLLOUGHBY Lake House, by Alonzo Bemis, 
is a three-story edifice, located about one hundred rods 
from the lake, and commanding a fine view of it. 
There is a large piazza extending around the house and 



196 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

a promenade deck along the roof. The house is well 
arranged. The sleeping-rooms are spacious, the par- 
lors well furnished, and the tables well provided. Fish 
abound in the lake, and especially the inuscalonge, a 
species of pickerel peculiar to the lake. 

Memphremagog Lake. 

Newport, situate on Memphremagog Lake, is sixty- 
five miles from Wells River. The railroad station is 
in the basement of the Memphremagog House, a new 
and fine hotel. This hotel is about 90 by 50 feet, four 
stories high, with an addition 125 by 50 feet, five 
stories high. It is an excellent hotel, and is kept by 
Messrs. Bowman & Rydell. As the steamer leaves 
Newport in the morning and returns at night, the 
tourist can, if he chooses, make this hotel his head- 
quarters, and spend the day upon the lake. 

The lake is a beautiful sheet of water, extending 
nearly forty miles to the north. It lies partly in Ver- 
mont and partly in Canada. Its width varies from one 
to six miles. The islands, though not numerous, add 
much to the loveliness of the scene. On the western 
side the shore rises abruptly in many places to the 
height of several hundred feet, while on the eastern it 
is comparatively level and well cultivated. As you 
sail along the lake, you see the farm-houses, each with 
its meadows and woodland near at hand, indicating a 
prosperous agricidtural community. There are sev- 
eral towns and villages of resj)ectable population along 
the shore. 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 197 

At half-past seven o'clock in the morning the steam- 
boat Lady of the Lake will be ready at her wharf, 
near the hotel, to receive her freight. This steamer is 
of iron ; and it was built on the Clyde, expressly for this 
service. By frequently crossing and recrossing the 
lake, the trip from Newport to Outlet Village is not less 
than fifty miles in length, though the lake does not 
exceed forty. Capt. Fogg, who is as pleasant and ac- 
commodating as he looks, was the builder and owner 
of the steamer for which the present was named. He 
is never happier than when he has under his pro- 
tection a party w4io thoroughly enjoy the beauties of 
the lake. Soon after leaving Newport, he wdll, if re- 
quested, point out a full-length reclining figure, formed 
by the contour of the hills and mountains beyond Owl's 

Head. 

About half way down the lake, on the western side, 
is situated, on the very shore. Owl's Head Mountain, 
and, nestled in a lovely nook at its base, the Mountain 
House. Owl's Head is 2,743 feet high. A footpath 
leads to its summit, which can be reached in one or 
two hours* climbing. The origin of the name is 
as yet a puzzle. The mountain is well wooded 
almost to its very summit. But as you emerge from 
the shelter of the woods to the bare rocks on the north- 
ern side, a most beautiful view breaks upon you. 
Immediately at your feet lies the lake, visible for its 
entire length. Every bay and island can be clearly 
seen. Beyond is the level plain, thickly studded with 
farm-houses, with here and there a vHlage and a pond. 



198 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

To the south you see, oear at hand, the twin peaks of 
Willoughby, as if guarding the gate to the towering 
peaks of the White Mountains, blue in the distance. 
Lake Champlain lies in the west, Massaweepee a little 
to the north, while the St. Lawrence and St. Francis 
can be clearly discerned still farther away. On a clear 
day, you can even discover the white towers of Montreal 
glistening in the sun. Owl's Head, from its compara- 
tively isolated position, seems to stand sentinel over the 
golden treasures of the Canadian autumn. You feel, 
while gazing towards the north, that you have escaped 
from the mountain region. A little below the summit 
of Owl's Head is a natural amphitheatre formed by the 
rocks. Inscriptions are placed on the walls to show 
that this spot is annually made use of for a Masonic 
Lodge. 

The Mountain House is the name of the hotel at the 
base. The house is a pleasant and convenient building ; 
and is so surrounded by water, hills, and rocks, that, as 
you approach, you almost wonder how it found a resting- 
place in so secluded a spot. It was not open for some 
years, though it was formerly well patronized by the 
lovers of quiet and seclusion. 

One of the chief attractions of the place is the abun- 
dance of fish. The muscalonge, a species of fish pecu- 
liar to the region, is caught in great abundance. Twenty 
pounds is by no means an uncommon weight for them to 
attain. Trout abound in the small ponds near by, which 
can easily be reached. 

About a mile north of the hotel, the rocks rise 
almost perpendicularly from the water to the height of 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 199 

some seven hundred feet. The water near the shore, 
though never sounded, probably is as deep as the rocks 
are higli. An old fisherman, who lives upon the shore, 
has firm faith that an immense sea-serpent lurks here, 
and has spent days in trying to catch him. Capt. Fogg 
will tell you the story. 

Outlet Village, so called from its situation at the 
outlet of the lake, where, by Magog River, the waters 
are poured into the St. Francis, is the terminus of the 
sail. A good dinner may be obtained on board the 
boat. A stage ride of sixteen miles brings you to 
Sherbrooke, where the cars of the Grand Trunk Rail- 
way may be taken for Montreal or Quebec. The rail- 
roads up the valley of the Connecticut, the sail over 
Memphremagog, and the Grand Trunk Railway from 
Sherbrooke, form one of the pleasantest and shortest 
routes between New York and Montreal. The time is 
about the same as by other routes, and the variety 
greater. 

At Magog, in addition to the stage connection with 
Sherbrooke, there is a line of coaches to Waterloo, on 
the Stanstead, Shefford & Chambly Railroad. 

The Lady of the Lake makes but one trip a day, 
leaving Newport in the morning and returning in 
the afternoon, reaching Newport about six o'clock. 
Capt. Fogg, however, lives at Georgetown, about half 
way down the lake, to which he returns on Saturday 
night, after completing his trip to Newport. Of this 
opportunity for a sail all the young people along the 
shore between Georgetown and Newport avail them- 
selves. They go down to Newport, and return in the 



200 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

evening. The steward furnishes music, and the prom- 
enade-deck a ball-room. 

From Newport^ the Eastern Counties Railway fur- 
nishes direct communication with Montreal, by both a 
day and night train, with Pullman cars. 

2. Concord to White Mountains, via Montreal 
Railroad. 

Three different routes are presented to the tourist 
over this road. (1.) He may go to the Wells River, 
thence over the White Mountain Railroad to Little- 
ton, and to Franconia by stage, as by the Northern 
Raih'oad just described. (2.) He may leave the cars 
at Plymouth, and proceed directly to the Profile House 
by stage. (3.) The cars may be left at the Weirs, and 
the traveller may pursue his journey to the White 
Mountain Notch and Glen House via Centre Harbor 
and Conway. 

1. Cars to Littleton and Fabyan's. 

This route is shorter than by the Northern Railroad. 
It has the advantage of passing by the shores of Win- 
nipcj^aukee Lake. The express-train, connecting with 
the cars from the New York boats at Nashua, leaves 
Boston at 8 o'clock A. M. ; arrives at Plymouth at 
12.35, where there is a delay of half an hour for dinner ; 
Littleton at 3.25, where the stage connection for the 
Profile House is made ; and at the Fabyan House at 
4.20, connecting with the evening train up Mt. Wash- 
ington. Returning, the express-train leaves the Fabyan 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 201 

Hou?e at 9.10 A. M., nearl}^ two hours later than the 
mail-train. It does not connect at Wells River with 
the Passiimpsic Railroad. The mail-train leaves Boston 
at 7 and 7.30 A. M., and is overtaken and passed by 
the express-train at Concord, reaches Wells River at 
4 o'clock, and then connects with the train over the 
Passumpsic Railroad from White River Junction. This 
train arrives at Littleton at 5 (Profile House at 8), at 
the Fabyan House at 6.16, and at Lancaster at 6.16. 
As the express-train goes no farther than Lancaster, 
passengers for the Grand Trunk Railway by that 
train wait till the arrival of the accommodation before 
going on. 

There is also a morning train from Plymouth at 7.30, 
which reaches Littleton at 11.06, the Profile House 
in season for dinner, and the Fabyan House at 12. 
Returning, this train leaves the Fabyan House at 1.30 
P. M., and connects with the express-train from Mon- 
treal, arriving in Boston at 10.30 P. M. 

Should the preference be given for the route over the 
Montreal Railroad, the tourist w^ill find the cars of the 
road ready to start upon the arrival of the train from 
Boston. The road crosses the Merrimack River soon 
after leaving the Concord station, and continues up 
that river, upon its eastern bank, through the villages 
of Canterbury, Northfield, Sanbornton Bridge, — where 
the road crosses a portion of Lake Winnipesaukee, 
called the Great Bay, — Laconia, and Lake Village to 
" Weirs." Here the steamer Lady of the Lake, 
is ready to start for Centre Harbor. A description of 
this lake is given on the 146th and following pages. 



202 WHITE movjxtaij^ guide. 

The ride by rail from Concord to the Weirs, occupy- 
ing a little over an hour, is one of the most agreeable 
to be found in the Avhole mountain trip. Soon after 
leaving the station at Concord the road Avinds over the 
intervals of the Merrimack, crosses the river, and rises 
to a considerable elevation above the river bed. This 
enables one to catch some beautiful views across the 
valley of the Merrimack, Avith Mt. Kearsarge, in An- 
dover, formiug the chief attraction. After leaving 
Sanbornton Bridge, where the River Winnipesaukee is 
crossed, the road lies along Lake Winnisquam, or 
Great Bay, a portion of which is crossed at Laconia, 
the stopping-place for Gilford, where the traveller Avill 
find a good hotel kept by A. L. Morrison. Mt. Bel- 
knap, four and a half miles distant, is much visited. 
The Canterbury Shakers are only twelve miles distant 
— a pleasant ride. The citizens are very hospitable. 
The lake, also, may be visited from this place. Still 
following the course of the Winnipesaukee River, which 
presents a continual succession of beautiful views, 
with Mt. Belknap constantly in sight, the Wicrs is 
reached. 

Those who do not go by the way of the lake, con- 
tinue their journey through Meredith Village and 
Plolderness, and arrive at Plymouth soon after noon. 
Havins: fortified the inner man with the jjood cheer 
of our host, we return to the cars, and proceeding 
through Quincy, Rumney, Wentworth, Warren, and 
Haverhill, with Carr's Mountain, Moosilauke, and 
the spurs of the Franconia range in sight, reach Wells 
River. From this point the train proceeds, without 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 203 

detention, up the valley of the Ammonoosuc, over the 
"Wliite Mountain Railroad to Littleton, arriving there 
about 4 o'clock. Seepage 194. 

MoosiLAUKE Mountain, as has just been said, is 
in sight from the road between Plymouth and Wells 
River. As this mountain is one of the highest in the 
vicinity, some tourist may desire to visit it. To do this, 
he should leave the cars at Warren, twenty miles from 
Plymouth. The Moosilauke House, D. G. Marsh, pro- 
prietor, just enlarged, will here provide for the accom- 
modation of guests. Three or four miles from the vil- 
lage is a lead mine, w^hich is now abandoned. The 
distance from the depot to the base of the mountain is 
five miles. From the base, a carriage road four miles 
long has been built to the summit. A comfortable 
hotel, like those on Mt. Washington, has been erected, 
which is kept by David Q. Clement. His price is $4.00 
per day. Prof. A. Guyot also made an excursion to 
this mountain, and we are permitted to make tlie 
following extract from a letter written by him, descrip- 
tive of the view : — 

'' The panorama which is before your eyes at the 
summit of Moosilauke is nearly the most extensive 
I have found in New England, not excepting even that 
from Mts. Washington and Lafayette, over which it 
possesses many advantages. This is due to the insu- 
lated position of that mountain outside of the group of 
the White Mountains proper, combined with its great 
elevation, Avhich surpasses by 1,000 feet to 1,500 feet 
the surrounding heights, w^hile it is less than 500 feet 



204 WHITE Mouj\rT^ij\r guide. 

below the summit of Lafayette. The eye thus em- 
braces at a single glance in the north and north-east 
all the chains of the White Mountain group from 
Lafayette and Mt. Washington to the high peaks of 
the central, southern, and eastern chains in Sandwich 
and Conway. Towards the north-west the view ex- 
tends into Canada ; on the west and south-west the 
whole State of Vermont, Avith its long and continuous 
chain of the Green Mountains ; towards the south and 
east the whole State of New Hampshire, with its innu- 
merable scattered hills and lakes, among which Winni- 
pesaukee is conspicuous, and a part of Maine, complete 
the grand, instructive, raised map which is opened be- 
fore the beholder. Moosilauke, which is now so 
accessible by the way of the Boston, Concord, and 
Montreal Railroad, and by means of a path recently 
cut through the forest to the summit, deserves to take 
a distinguished place among the high summits visited 
by the lovers of mountain scenery." 

The trip from the depot to the summit may be made 
in about four hours, and the price for the carriage ride 
up the mountain is $4.00. The fare at the hotel will 
probably be $4.00 a day. 

It is in contemplation to construct a road from 
Warren to Francouia. If this is done, it will be the 
shortest route to Franconia, the distance being only 
fourteen miles from the railroad. From the summit 
of Moosilauke to Franconia the distance is only eight 
miles. 

2. Franconia, via Plymouth. The traveller, as 



WHITE MOUJ^TAIJ\r GUIDE. 205 

we said before, may leave the cars at Plymouth and 
proceed directly up the valley of the Pemigewasset to 
Franconia. This is, by far, the shortest and most 
direct route to this part of the mountain region. The 
distance from Boston to Franconia is 145 miles ; from 
Concord, 75. The time from Boston is nine hours. 
Leaving New York by the evening boats, one may be 
in Franconia in season for tea the next day. Fare, 
from Boston, $8.00 ; from Concord, $5.25. 

Leaving Concord in the cars, as indicated on page 
203, we arrive at Plybiouth in season for dinner. 
There are many objects of interest at Plymouth, and 
if one desires to remain and become acquainted with 
the charms of the locality, the Pemigewasset House 
is a desirable tarrying place for all in quest of health 
or pleasure. Plymouth Village has a lovely situation, 
in the midst of the finest scenery. From Walker's 
Hill can be obtained a capital view of the village and 
the river. Livermore's Falls, two miles north of the 
village, present a remarkable appearance. They are 
probably the result of volcanic action, and invite the 
attention of the student of science and the lover of 
nature. Prospect Hill affords an unsurpassed view of 
the most diversified character, and an excursion thither 
is one of the most agreeable methods of spending a 
leisure afternoon. It is but four miles distant from 
the hotel, and a good carriage road has been built to 
its very summit. Mountain, valley, lake, and river, 
interspersed with fertile meadows, shining cottages, 
and thrifty villages, within a circuit of thirty miles. 



206 WHITE J^OUJ^T^IJ^r GUIDE. 

meet the delighted eye in every direction, while in the 
north the rugged clitts and peaks of the Franconia and 
White Mountain ranges rise like everlasting towers. 
This is considered by some, the finest view south of 
the mountains. The late Gov. Hill, who visited the 
summit several years ago, spoke of it in the most en- 
thusiastic terms. The towns in both the valleys of 
the Femigewasset and Baker's River, are to be seen 
below. Chocorua in the east, Belknap in the south, 
Monadnock in the south-west, Moosehillock in the 
north-west, and the Franconia and White Mountain 
ranges in the north, lift their summits before the 
delighted eye. The silvery sheen of Squam and Win- 
nipesaukee brightens the landscape. The beautiful 
valley of the Femigewasset, dotted with elms, winds 
gracefully to the south, indicating the course of the 
river, by its fertile meadows, far in the distance. 

The Femigewasset House, at Flymouth, which is 
situated on the side of the railroad track, is a new and 
excellent hotel just erected. The old Femigewasset 
House, which stood on the same site, was destroyed 
by fire in 18G2. The new hotel, which is without ex- 
ception the finest in the State, is 2o0 feet in front, with 
a wing of 80 feet, and is four stories high. There are 
130 sleeping rooms, all of which are lighted by gas, 
and are large and commodious. There are also many 
suites of rooms for families. The parlor is a large 
and spacious apartment, elegantly furnished, fronting 
the south. The dining-room is a spacious hall, on the 
main floor, lighted by large windows, and without a 



WHITE MOUJVTAIJ\r GUIDE. 207 

single column or pillar to mar its symmetry. The 
office is also a commodious hall in the centre of the 
house, Avith a stairway leading from the railway plat- 
form below. On the roof is a large observatory, from 
"vvhich may be had a fine view of the valleys of the 
Baker and Pemigewasset Rivers, and also of Lafayette, 
Osceola, and almost the entire range of the Waterville 
and Franconia Mountains. No pains have been spared 
to make this hotel complete in every particular, to 
finish it in a style of which even city hotels need not 
be ashamed, and it is well adapted to the Avants of a 
first-class summer hotel. It is now under the charge 
of C. M. Morse, manager, who will make every 
exertion to give satisfaction. The passenger depot of 
the Boston, Concord, and Montreal Railroad is in the 
basement, rendering it very convenient for those passing 
through Plymouth to diue. Plymouth has always been 
a favorite place of resort, and will now be doubly so 
since the erection of the new hotel. 

Good trout-fishing may be found at "Waterville, 
eighteen miles distant. This village is a very delight- 
ful retreat, and by the initiated is considered the gem 
of this locality. It "was formerly the resort of a few 
visitors who "knew" the mountains, and whose tales 
of beautiful scenery, magnificent trout-fishing, and the 
like, stimulated public curiosity. 

Devil's Den is a cave from three to four hundred 
feet deep, and is situated in Campton Hollow, six miles 
distant from Plymouth. 

14 



208 WHITE MOVJ^TAIJ^ GUIDE. 

If the traveller desires to be independent of stage 
coaches and railroads, in his farther travels through 
the mountains, he can obtain horses and drivers at the 
livery stables in the village. Should the tourist prefer 
the stage coa(;h to the rail from Plymouth, he will 
enjoy a most delightful ride of twenty-nine miles to the 
Profile House, tracing the course of the Pemigewas- 
set River. The road in some places is rather rough, 
but the weariness of the way is amply compensated by 
the variety of beautiful objects that are every where 
presented to the view. The river meanders in its 
winding course, now with placid and quiet current 
through green meadows, and now in rapid and head- 
long torrent over its pebbly bed, while little cascades 
are bursting from the hills, falling in sheeted foam over 
the opposing rocks, to make their way to the welcom- 
ing stream below. As the route leaves the village, the 
mountains begin to appear in the distance. As the dis- 
tance lessens, the wdiite porticos of the Flume House 
are seen, welcoming our approach. The hotel seems 
like a " nest among the mountains," as it is relieved 
by the dark mass amid Avhich it rests. The little vil- 
lages of Campton and Thornton are the resort of 
artists, who spend weeks in the vicinity, sketching for 
future studies. Campton is said to contain more points 
for fine prospects than any town in the neighborhood. 
A quiet little inn upon the roadside looks the abode of 
comfort. Woodstock and Lincoln are small towns, of 
no particular note. The road is now in the midst of 
the mountain region. The dark hills loom up on every 



WHITE MOUJ^TAIJ^ GUIDE. 209 

side as the day departs. The Pemigewasset, now re* 
duced to a little brook, murmurs at our feet. We 
have seen the summits of the hills brighten in the rich 
glow of sunset. The clouds are tinged with golden 
light, changing to soft purple and the gray of evening. 
The stars come out ; the moon sends her gentle rays 
down into the valley. In the late twilight, after a half 
day's exquisite enjoyment, we enter the delightful and 
quiet scenery of the Notch road, passing the Flume 
House, and soon alight beneath the grateful shelter of 
the Profile House. The stage fare from Plymouth 
is $4.00. 

3. AYhite Mountain Notch, via Comvay, Lake 
\Yinnipesaukee, and Concord. Distance from Boston, 
172 miles ; time, 36 hours. 

At the Weirs (thirty-two miles from Concord, 106 
from Boston, and seventy-three from White Mountain 
Notch), we leave the cars of the Boston, Concord, and 
Montreal Railroad (see page 200), and find ourselves 
on Lake Winnipesaukee. The route from this point is 
described on the 146th and following pages. The trav- 
eller can leave the lake as there indicated either at 
Centre Harbor or Wolf borough, or he can return to 
the Weirs and proceed, via Plymouth, as already sug- 
gested. The route via Conway is the most leisurely 
approach to Mount Washington, but yet one of the 
most attractive. It was at first the only thoroughfare 
by which Mt. Washington was approached, and only 
lost its supremacy by the building of the railroads on 
each side of the mountains. 



210 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 



Boston to the White Mountain Notch, via the 
Eastern Railroad. 

This is now the shortest route to the Crawford 
House. The cars leave the Eastern Raih'oad depot in 
Boston. The route is via Newburyport and Ports- 
mouth, and thence over the Great Falls and Conway 
Railroad to North Conway. The distance to North 
Conway is. 136 miles. 

The time by the express-trains, on which are Pull- 
man cars, is about six hours. At North Conway con- 
nection is made with the Portland and Ogdensburgh 
for the Crawford and Glen Houses. 

Mount Mansfield. 

There are various routes from New York, which 
finally leave their passengers on one of the routes 
already described, at points more or less remote from 
the mountains, which it is not necessary to enumerate. 
So also the routes through Canada leave their passen- 
gers on the routes to the mountain by the way of the 
Grand Trunk, the Passumpsic, or the Central Vermont. 
Should the latter be chosen, the tourist will pass near 
Mansfield Mountain. 

We should fail to do our duty did we not call the at- 
tention of tourists among the mountains to this charming 
spot, which is so attractive for its mountain-views, and 
is so near one of the great highways of travel. 

Stowe is distant 10 miles from Waterbury, a station 



WHITE MOU^TTAIJ^ GUIDE. 211 

on the Vermont Central Railroad, 70 miles north of 
White River Junction. The mail and express trains 
both stop at this station. Tourists from Montreal, via 
Rouse's Point, pass through it, while those leaving the 
mountains, via Littleton, have only to take the train 
on the Vermont Central Road at White River Junction. 
Through tickets from Boston to the summit of Mans- 
field Mountain can also be obtained at the office of the 
Vermont Central Railroad in Boston. 

Waterbury is a small and quiet country village. A 
company has been organized, and has erected a large 
and commodious hotel near the depot, which is now 
open for the accommodation of guests. 

Camel's Hump in the immediate vicinity, is the 
highest peak of the Green Mountains, except Mansfield 
Mountain, and is easily accessible from this place. 
The summit is 4,188 feet above the sea-level, and com- 
mands a magnificent view in all directions. It is easy 
of ascent, and the trip can be accomplished with incon- 
siderable fatigue. A few miles below the village are 
Bolton Falls, exceedingly picturesque, and the delight 
of beauty-loving travellers. 

Stages leave Waterbury for Stowe regularly on the 
arrival of the mail trains ; and special stages leave on 
the arrival of the other trains when any considerable 
party desires conveyance. The distance is 10 miles, 
over what was once a plank road, and is now a very 
comfortable stage road. The time is an hour and a 
half or two hours, and the fare $1.00. 



212 white mou^ttai^r guide. 

The Mansfield House 

will be readied by the traveller from the south about 
half past six o'clock P. M. This is a new hotel 
just erected by the Mansfield Hotel Co., under the im- 
mediate superintendence of their accomplished Presi- 
dent, AV. II. H. Bingham, Esq. Mr. Bingham resides 
in Stowe, and, by his unceasing labors and thorough 
acquaintance with the mountains here, has gained for 
himself the title of " King of the Mansfield Moun- 
tains." Tlie hotel occupies the site on which formerly 
stood the modest inn that once sufficed for the wants 
of travellers, and which now forms one of the wings 
of the new building. It is a large and elegant struc- 
ture, with a piazza running the entire length of the 
front. Being newly and thoroughly built, Avith all the 
modern improvements of plumbing, and of bathing 
rooms, lighted throughout with gas, with large parlors, 
spacious lodging-rooms, a fine, large dining-room, and 
a hall over the dining-room of equal size for dancing 
and evening entertainments, it cannot fail to be an at- 
tractive place of resort. It is the largest and best ap- 
pointed hotel in the state of Vermont. N. P. Keeler, 
the landlord, is well known to the many people who 
have visited Stowe and its pleasant environs. The 
public can be assured that this hotel will be well kept 
and deserve their patronage. The price per day is 
$3.50, with a considerable discount by the week. 

There are many objects of attraction at Stowe, and 
many beautiful rides and excursions can be made to 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 213 

the country in the vicinity. The chief of all, however, 
and the one to which we should first call attention, is the 

Ascent of Mansfield Mountain. 

This mountain is of peculiar shape. By an ex- 
ercise of the imagination, the summits can be made to 
resemble the profile of the human fiice lying supine. 
The forehead, the nose, the chin, are all thus projecting 
upwards. The chin, the highest summit, is at an ele- 
vation of about 4,400 feet above the sea-level, and is the 
highest of the whole Green Mountain range. 

There is now a carriage-road from Stowe to the Sum- 
mit House. 

The distance from the hotel to the summit is nine 
miles. For five miles the road is over the usual trav- 
elled highway. At the mountain-base the road branches 
oiF, and the ascent commences. The path, however, is 
not very steep, and is kept in excellent order. Two 
miles and a half of a pretty steady ascent, for the greater 
part of the way through a pleasant forest, brings the 
traveller to the half-way house, where the carriage-road 
once ended, and saddle-horses were taken. Here one 
ought to make a long pause, if for no other purpose than 
to look at the magnificent view spread out before him. 
At his feet lie the lovely Valley of Stowe, which has just 
been left, and the smooth, green farms ; and, beyond, the 
hills and higher summits of the Green Mountains. If the 
air be very clear, the summit of Mt. Washingtoii is 
dimly visible, though almost hidden by the nearer hills. 



214 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

A clear spiing of pure water, a little distance from the 
stable, may be visited before starting on the ascent of 
the remainder of the peak. 

The journey is soon accomplished ; nor will any part 
of the road be found wearisome or disagreeable. For 
the greater part of the way, the view is hidden by the 
trees ; but here and there we catch glimpses of a wooded 
ravine extending to the very base of the mountain, and 
far away to the north towards Smuggler's Notch, 
through whose frowning walls are pleasant vistas, 
closed in the distance by beautiful green fields. 

The Summit House. 

is situated at the very base of the Nose. It is owned 
by the Mansfield Hotel Company, and is under the 
charge of Mr. William P. Walker. The main part 
of the house, in which is the large reception room and 
office, as well as sleeping rooms, is fifty by thirty feet. 
The ell is forty by twenty-four feet, and contains the 
dining-room, wdiile the kitchen is still farther in the 
rear. The house is neatly and thoroughly finished 
and furnished, and is quite as comfortable as many 
larger hotels nearer sea-level. It is a far more complete 
hotel than any other summit house in New England. 
It is also more favorably situated, being near the sum- 
mit of the mountain, full 4000 feet above sea-level, 
and yet commanding the fine view towards the west of 
the valley of Stowe, the wooded side of Mansfield 
being visible to its very base, with no intervening sum- 



WHITE MOUJ^TJlIJ^ GUIDE. 215 

mit to obstruct the vision, and the scene being closed 
in only by the White Mountain range. It is distant 
nine miles from the Mansfield House ; the time of the 
ascent is usually about three hours, and the price for 
each person, including pony, is $3.00. Tlie company 
own the livery stable near the hotel, and have a good 
supply of trusty horses for this as well as for other 
excursions. Orders can be given at the ofiice of the 
Mansfield House, which will be promptly attended to. 
The price of board at the Summit House is $3.50 per 
day. 

The Nose and the Chin. 

are the names of the two highest peaks. The former 
towers directly over the Summit House. It is ascended 
by a rough path on the western side, far more resem- 
bling a flight of stairs than the slope of a mountain 
side. The northern side presents a steep and sheer 
precipitous descent, down which you may look from 
the summit at least 500 feet. Several large pieces of 
^.he cliff have been detached from time to time and 
fallen in ruins below, and it seems by no means im- 
probable that others may share their fate. The Nose 
is only a short walk from the hotel. 

To ascend the Chin, however, requires more time, 
though the journey is less fatiguing. There is no such 
precipitous ascent, but the mountain slopes gently away 
towards the hotel. It is distant about a mile and a 
half from the house, and consequently takes a longer 
time than the ascent of the Nose, as you must walk 



216 WHITE M0UJ\rTJ3TJ\r GUIDE. 

the whole distance. It is some 300 feet higher than 
the Nose, and commands, in consequence, a more ex- 
tended view. 

The scene that is spread out before the eye, on either 
of the summits, is extremely beautiful. It differs from 
the views from the greater part of the White Moun- 
tains, as there, in whatever direction you look, nothing 
is to be seen but the rugged mountain tops, with the 
valleys here and there between. While here, besides 
a similar view towards the east, you have spread out 
before you, on the west, the fertile land of Western 
Vermont, comparatively level, though here and there 
diversified by hills, bordered by the silver waters of 
Lake Champlain, with the blue Adirondack Hills in 
the far distance beyond. To one fresh from the 
White Mountains, this view is singularly attractive. 
You see the farm-houses clustering into villages ; you 
can follow the courses of the winding streams among 
the hills and forests ; you can clearly see the dark 
green of the waving grain, and can almost distinguish 
the farmers at their toils. Among the peaks of the 
White Mountains you only see occasional traces of 
civilization, and it is the wildness that chiefly is im- 
pressed upon the mind. But here there seems to be 
another and a different sensation. The beauty of the 
landscape, the feeling that all this pleasant land is filled 
with life, together with the suggestion of the distant 
Adirondacks, that within their dark recesses is con- 
cealed an undiscovered world of loveliness, combine to 
enchain one irresistibly to the spot. 



WHITE MOUJ^TAIJ^ GUIDE. 217 

To the north may be seen the hills of Montreal, and, 
in a sunshiny day, the glistening spires of that city. 
Burlington can be identified on the lake shore by the 
same means. The whole of Lake Champlain, from 
Fort Ticonderoga to the extreme north, lies stretched 
out before you. Owl's Head, on the shores of Mem- 
phremagog Lake, lies away to the north. Eastward 
you can see the White Mountains closing in the field of 
view. In the south rise Camel's Hump and others of 
the Green Mountain range. From the Chin you may 
look down into the Smuggler's Notch, and even de- 
scend into it, if you have time and endurance. 

Oq the way to the Chin may be seen, in many places, 
parallel lines marked on the rocks, in a uniform north 
and south direction, left here it is supposed when the 
mountain was covered with snow, and the glacier car- 
ried huge stones in its cold embrace. In one place are 
two large bowlders deposited on the mountain top, 
wdth the lines they made in reaching the eminence vis- 
ible a few feet from them. These drift scratches have 
attracted much attention from geologists. To make 
this excursion to the Chin, and not be hurried, a night 
should be spent upon the mountain. 

On the eastern side of the Nose the host of the 
Summit House will point out to you the " Old Man of 
Mansfield Mountain," if indeed you have not already 
noticed it. The profile is quite excellent, though not, 
of course, rivalling in regularity of features the " Old 
Man " of Franconia. 



218 - WHITE MOVJ^TAIJ^ GUIDE, 

Moss Glen Falls. 

Another trip to be made from the Mansfield House 
— and for this we would advise an early morning 
ride — is to Moss Glen Falls. These falls are to be 
found in a ravine of sinijular formation about four 
miles from the hotel, on one of the lower ridges on 
the north-eastern slope of Worcester Mountain. The 
source of the stream is a small pond on the table land 
above the bluff, which is about two hundred feet in 
height. The solid cliff seems here to have been cleft 
asunder, and the perpendicular walls are left standing 
in their majesty. 

The same arrangement exists here, as at Catskill 
Falls, for increasing the volume of water, which in 
summer is often very low. But the dam and head of 
water are under the control of the proprietor of the 
saw-mill, who does not approve of having the water 
run to waste for the mere amusement of visitors. You 
will be fortunate, then, if you happen to visit the falls 
when there is a good head of water. The best point 
of view is about fifty feet up the cliff, on the side near- 
est the highway. 

The charge for a team is $2.00 if less than three go, 
and 75 cents each for a larger number. 

The Smuggler's Notch 

must also be visited. It is a narrow mountain pass, 
said to be worn out by the action of water, to which a 
carriage road has just been built. A small hotel has 



WHITE MOUJVTJlIJV GUIDE. 219 

been erected in it by the Hotel Company, so that shel- 
ter can always be had. It is nine miles distant from 
the Mansfield House, and the charges for conveyance 
are the same as to the summit. The pass is wild and 
impressive. Huge bowlders have fallen from the 
mountain side, on which larj>:e trees are now jrrowinir. 
To the largest of them has been given the name of 
Brigham's Rock. There is here also a mammoth 
spring, with clear cold water flowing at all times in 
great abundance. There are traditions that this pass 
was formerly used by smugglers to carry on their con- 
traband trade, and it seems well suited for that pur- 
pose, if the object was to cross easily from one side of 
the mountain to the other. 



We have completed the description of the routes to 
the Mountains, as well as the description of the Moun- 
tains themselves. We have seen that all the various 
routes from New York are condensed, in reality, to 
three, as we approach the mountain region : one leaves 
us at Gorham, on the eastern side ; the second at 
White Mountain Notch ; and the third at Franconia. 
Upon what particular route the choice may fall, we 
would urge that the whole range, from Franconia to 
the " Glen," be visited if possible. In no other way 
can a complete idea of all the beauty and loveliness 
of this "Switzerland of America" be gained. It is 
well, also, to go by one and return by another route. 
Tickets to and through the region should not be pur- 



220 WHITE Mouj\rTjiiJ\r guide, 

chased at a distance, as circumstances may render it 
desirable to vary from a plan first laid down. Travel- 
lers coming from the Canadas, either by Rouse's Point 
or by the Grand Trunk llaihvay, should especially 
avoid purchasing through tickets with privilege of 
visiting the mountains on their journey. To use these 
tickets, travellers are compelled to leave the mountains 
at the place where they first approached, and must 
thus, frequently, needlessly retrace their steps. 

For a more detailed description of the routes along 
the sea coast, and for a full description of the various 
places of resort on the sea shore in New England, from 
Newport, east, see " Eastman's Eastern Coast 
Guide.'* 



ALTITUDES. 

— f— 

Alpine House 802 feet 

Bethlehem 1,450 „ 

Bridge 1,221 „ 

Concord (R. R. Station) 237 „ 

Conway Intervals 471 „ 

Crawford House 1,920 „ 

Dixville Notch ' 1,831 „ 

Fabyan House 1,571 „ 

Franconia Village 921 „ 

„ Notch (highest point) 2,014 „ 

Flume House 1,431 „ 

Gilmanton Hill, summit between Franconia and Littleton, 1,329 „ 

Glen House 1,632 „ 

Lancaster 860 „ 

Littleton 817 „ 

North Conway Depot (Gt. F. & C.) 516 „ 

Pinkham Notch (highest point) 2,018 „ 

Plymouth 473 „ 

Profile House 1,974 „ 

Summit, between Franconia and Bethlehem 1,820 „ 

White Mountain Notch 1,914 „ 

Willey House 1,335 „ 

Winnipesaukee Lake 501 „ 



MOUNTAIN ALTITUDES. 



-♦- 



Adams 5,794 feet 

Baldface (Jackson) 3,600 „ 

Black Mountain (Sandwich House) 4,050 ,, 

Cannon (Profile) 3,850 „ 



222 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

Carrigain 4,G78 feet 

Carter 4,830 „ 

Cherry 3,670 ,, 

Chocorua 3,540 „ 

Clay 5,553 „ 

Clinton 4,320 „ 

Crawford 3,134 „ 

Cuba 2,927 „ 

Deception 2,449 „ 

Eagle Clifif 3,446 „ 

Franklin 4,904 „ 

Gunstock 2,394 „ 

Iron Mountain (Bartlett) 2,000 „ 

Jefferson ". 5,714 „ 

Kearsarge (Merrimack County) 2,943 „ 

Lafayette 5,259 „ 

Lincoln 5,101 ,, 

Madison 5,365 „ 

Monroe 5,384 „ 

Moosilauke 4,811 „ 

Moriah 4,653 ,, 

Mote 3,200 „ 

Osceola 4,400 „ 

Ossipee 2,361 „ 

Passaconway 4,200 ,, 

Pequawket (Kiarsarge) 3,251 „ 

Pleasant 4,764 „ 

Prospect (Holderness) 2,072 „ 

Red Hill 2,038 „ 

Resolution 3,400 „ 

Sunset Hill (Centre Harbor) 885 „ 

Tin Mountain (Jackson) 1,650 „ 

Tripyramid (highest) 4,086 „ 

Twin 5,000 „ 

Washington 6,293 „ 

Welch 3,500 „ 

Whiteface 4,007 „ 

Wniey 4,330 „ 



BOARDING-HOUSES. 

— ♦ — 

The following is a list of most of the Private Boardlng-Houses in 
the mountain region. The name of the proprietor is followed by the 
number of persons he can accommodate; and then the price per 
week, depending oa the accommodation required. 

ASHLAND. 
J. M. Cotton, 20 $ 

BARTLETT. 

Frank George, 30 7 to 12 

Arthur L. Meserve, 20 6 to 10 

LOWER BARTLETT. 

W. M. & A. Pitman (East Branch House) 7 to 10.50 

Cornelius Stilphen, 20 6 to 8 

LOWER BARTLETT (P.O., North Conway). 

Edwin C. Stokes, 50 7 to 10.60 

Cyrus A. Tasker, 25 7 to 12 

BERLIN FALLS. 
Mount Forest House, 30 7 to 14 

BETHEL, MAINE. 

C. T. Bartlett 6 to 10 

Abiel Chandler, Jr 6 to 8 

Rev. S. L. Gould 6 to 10 

G. A. Hastings 8 to 12 

Mrs. L C. Kimball 6 to 10 

Charles B. Lock 6 to 8 

Woodson Mason 6 to 8 

16 



224 WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 

John Russell $6 to 8 

J. A. Stockbridge 7 to 10 

Alphin Twitchell 6 to 10 

C. L. Twitchell 6 to 8 

A. W. Valentine 6 to 8 

WEST BETHEL. 

C. P. Grover 

W. L. Grover 

BETHLEHEM. 

I. E. Abbott (Maplewood Hotel), 200 15 to 20 

Myron Bailey, 14 

J. K. Barrett (Strawberry Hill House), 60 7 to 12 

William G. Busher (Bethlehem House), 35 

Henry Danforth (Agassiz House), 60 

Durgin & Fox (Sinclair House), 200 15 to 20 

J. C. Kelley & Son (Avenue House), 60 

George W. Phillips (Prospect House), 100 

David S. Phillips (Bellevue House), 60 

Mrs. Joseph Plummer (Cottage House), 25 

William G. Simpson, 3b 

T. J. Spooner, 12 

Simon H. Thayer, 20 

J. N. Turner, 40 

H. W. Wilder, 20 

S. F. Winch (White Mountain House), 30 

CAMPTON VILLAGE. 

Frank Chase, 40 7 to 10 

Charles Cutter, 20 7 to 10 

Osman C. Foss, 50 8 to 10 

S. D. Kinsman, 16 7 to 10 

Timothy W. Mitchell (Fountain House), 30 ... . 7 to 9 

Frederick A. Mitchell, 15 

Dr. William Smith, 16 7 to 10 

William Thornton, 20 7 to 10 

Charles G. Webster, 10 7 to 10 

S. C. Willey, 16 7 tolO 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 225 

WEST CAMPTON. 

Joseph Clair, 40 $7 to 10 

T. J. Sanborn, 60 7 to 10 

J. M. Smith, 10 

B. B. Southniayd, 10 

CENTRE HARBOR. 

Almon Benson, 50 8 to 14 

R. L. Coe, 15 7 to 14 

J. R. Dow. 20 

G. N. Emery, 20 7 to 12 

S. F. Emery (Moulton House), 75 8 to 14 

Rufus Fellows, 10 

Timothy C. Gordon, 12 7 to 14 

A. M. Graves, 20 ... , 8 to 14 

J. L. Huntress (Senter House), 150 15 to 20 

B. F. Kelsea, 50 8 to 14 

W. A. Page, 20 

C. H. Weeks, 12 7 to 12 

B. F. Wentworth, 15 8 to 15 

Stephen Wentworth, 14 7 to 10 

COLEBROOK. 

E. F. Bailey (Parsons House), 125 

E. G. Kowen (Monadnock House), 125 

DALTON. 
Summer House, 75 

ERANCONIA. 

Bent & Knight, 20 7 to 10 

William H. Brooks, 15 

Jason Comey, 15 7 to 10 

Charles Eldson, 25 7 to 10 

E. H Goodnow, 25 7 to 10 

Oakes & Priest, 40 

D. K. Priest, 15 7 to 10 

Milo F. Shattuck, 25 7 to 10 

Joel Spooner (La Fayette House), 50 7 to 10 

Simon Spooner, 20 



226 WHITE MOUNTAIX GUIDE. 

JACKSON. 

J. M. Messerve, 35 $7 to 10.50 

N. E Stillings (Glen Ellis House), 75 9 to 10 50 

J. Thorn (Mountain House) 9 to 10.50 

J. B. Trickey (Jackson Falls House), 50 9 to 10.50 

JEFFERSON. 

E. E Bedell (Jefferson Hill House), 75 

T. J. Bedell (Sunnyside House), 25 

Mrs. Bowles (Maple House), 25 

E. A. Crawford, 25 

W. H. Crawford, 75 

William Crawshaw (Mt. Adams House), 75 

J. R. Crocker (Waunebek House), 125 

C. K. Gile (Starr King House), 70 . . 

W. P. Merrill (Waunebek Cottage), 50 

B. H. Plaisted (Plaisted House), 100 

Levi Starbird, 20 ^ 

LANCASTER. 

B. H. Corning (Lancaster House), 150 

Stephen Eames, 20 

Joseph Hopkins (Hopkins Hotel), 40 

B. F. Hunking, 10 

Charles Larkin, 12 

F. Richardson (American House), 75 

W. L. Rowell (Hillside Cottage), 40 

LISBON. 

E. W. Bartlett (Elm House), 20 

M. Bowles (Meadow House), 15 

A. H. Elliott (Bluff House), 12 

Miss E. M. Gleason, 10 

James Glynn (Dearborn House), 25 

A. W. Moore (Ammonoosuc House), 40 

C. E. McAllister, 25 

Hiram Noyes (Sugar Hill), 25 7 to 10 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 227 

LITTLETON. 

A. R. Burton, 20 

Widow Ward Cobleigh, 8 $7 to 12 

Mrs. E. Eastman, 12 7 to 9 

Jefferson Hosmer, 18 10 to 14 

C. C. Knapp & Co., 70 10 to 14 

Dea. John Merrill, 12 9 to 12 

W. A. Richardson (Union House), 40 

H. L. Tiiayer (Thayer's Hotel), 100 

Dennis Wheeler, 20 

MOULTONBOllOUG H. 

B. M. & W. H. Mason, 20 7 

NORTH CONWAY. 

Albert Barnes, 35 7 to 12 

A. W. Barnes, 30 7 to 10.50 

John Albert Barnes, 25 7 to 13 

Mrs. E. F. Densmore, 28 7 to 14 

Joseph F. Densmore, 25 7 to 12 

H. H. Dow, 45 7 to 13 

Alfred Eastman, 45 7 to 12 

Augustus Eastman 6 to 15 

J. Cummings Eastman, 75 7 to 12 

Thomas C. Eastman, 20 7 to 12 

Mrs. Solomon D. Pendexter, 30 7 to 12 

F. & H. Russell, 30 7 to 12 

John M. Seavey, 30 7 to 12 

Levi Wheeler, 30 7 to 12 

Charles H. Whitaker, 20 7 to 12 

E. Whitaker, 20 7 to 12 

James C. Willey, 30 7 to 12 

PLYMOUTH. 

Samuel D. Baker, 50 

Buchanan & Willis (Plymouth House), 50 

Mrs. S. N. Calder, 10 ' 

H. S. Chase, 20 



228 



WHITE MOUNTAIN GUIDE. 



W. G. Hill, 30 

C. M. Morse ( Pemigewasset House), 300 Slo to 21 

Dr. J. W. Preston, 20 

Ebeu K. Smith, 10 

RUMNEY. 

Mrs. Harry Chaiiman, 4 

J. L. Emerton, 4 

George P. P'reuch, 8 

Charles Pease, 10 . . . 

J. W. Pease, 6 

Josiah Quiiicy, 10 

Reuben Koliie, 8 

C. C. Smart, 12 

Mrs. J. L. Spalding, 10 

A. D. Spatter, 40 

O. W. Stevens, 12 

E. G. Stevens, 8 

THORNTON. 

George Foss, 25 

George Jenkins, 10 

William Merrill, ;J0 

WEST THORNTON. 
Grafton House, 25 

W^ATERVILLE. 
Merrill Greely, 50 

WOLFEBO ROUGH. 

Andrews & Whitney (Pavilion), 200 

Alfred Brown, 2!) 

John G. Gate, 20 

B. Dickerson, 15 

John L. Haines, 20 

Daniel Horn (Bellevue), 75 

Levi Horn (Glen House), 75 .... , 



WHITE MOUNT ArX GUIDE. 229 

George Kenniston (Lake House), 100 

Mrs. Sarah A. Libbey, 30 

A. S. Libbey, 15 

James Lovering, 15 

F. J. Lucas (Lake View), 50 

J. B. Manning (Prospect House), 50 

John L. Meader, 40 

Mrs. Mary G. Newell, 25 

J. L. Peaney (Glenclou House), 150 

Cliarles S. Parris, 20 

Jonas W Piper, 30 

Moses Varney, 30 

WOODSTOCK. 

James Darling, 10 $6 

Isaac Fox, 35 

C. F. Parker, 15 7 

Stephen S. Shanon, 18 7 

NORTH WOODSTOCK. 

Thomas Brewer 

William Dearborn, 12 ,. 7 

George F Russell, 25 7 

BRIDGP:WATER (Near Plymouth). 

David Webster, 20 7 

Walter R. Webster, 15 7 

J. B. Marston, 15 . . , 7 



INDEX. 



Albany Basins 170 

Alpine House 14 

Altitudes 221 

Alton Bay 152 

Angler's Retreat 171 

Artist's Falls 163 

Ascent of Bald Mountain . . 125 
Cojiple Crown . . 155 
Moosilauke . . . 203 
Protile Mountain . 124 
Ked Hill .... 158 
Manstield Mountain 213 
Mt. Clinton ... 95 
Mt. Franklin ... 93 
Mt. Hayes .... 28 
Mt. Kiarsarge . . 165 
Mt Lafayette . . 131 
Mt. Madison ... 29 
Mt. Moriah ... 25 
Mt. Pleasant ... 94 
Mt. Pemiyjewasset . 145 
Mt Surprise . . 26 
Mt. Washington, 17, 41, 
93, 108 
Mt. Willard ... 89 
Owl's Head . . .197 
Prospect Hill . . .205 

Bald Mountain 125 

Basin 136 

Beecher's Falls 92 

Berlin Falls 21 

Bethel, Me 169 

Bethlehem 116 

Boarding- Houses 223 

Boston to Franconia, via Con- 
cord and Plymouth . 185, 204 
Concord, Plymouth, and 

Littleton . . . 185,201 
Concord, White River 
Junction, and Lit- 
tleton 186 

Boston to Gorham 168 

Boston to Lake Willoughby, 186, 

102 
Memph rem agog, 186, 192 
Boston to White Mountain 
Notch, via Concord, 



Lake Winnipesaukee, 
and Conway . 185, 209 

Concord, Plymouth, and 
Littleton . . . 185, 200 

Concord, White River 
Junction, and Lit- 
tleton 185 

Dover, Lake Winnipesau- 
kee, and Conway . . 184 
Boston to White Mountain 
Notch, via Eastern 

R R 210 

Bryant's Pond 169 

Carriage Road to Mount 

Washington 41 

Carter Notch 70 

Cascades (Basin) 138 

Cascade (Protile House) . . . 126 

Cathedral 163 

Centre Harbor 156 

Centre Harbor to North Con- 
way and Crawford House, 150, 
159 
Cherry Mountain Road . . 32, 65 

ChiK^orua 160 

Clinton, Mt 95 

Colebrook 175 

Concord to Franconia, via 

Plymouth 204 

Plymouth and Littleton . 201 
Wliite River Junction . . 186 
Concord to White Mountain 
Notch, via Lake Win- 
nipesaukee and Con- 
way 209 

Littleton 186 

Conway 160 

Copple Crown Mountain . . 155 

Crawford House 78 

Crawford House Plateau . . 79 
Crystal Cascade 60 

Devil's Den 91 

Diana's Bath 164 

DixvUle Notch 174 



INDEX. 



231 



Eagle Cliff 123 

Echo Lake (< Conway) .... lt>3 
Echo Lake ( Franconia) . . . 122 
Emerald Pool 54 

Flume (Franconia) .... 139 

Flume (Notch) 84 

Flume House 139 

Franconia Notch 119 

Franklin, Mt 93 

Fryeburg 184 

Garnet Pools 53 

Geology of tlie Mountains . . 97 

Georgianna Falls 144 

Gibbs's Falls 88 

Glen 36 

Glen Ellis Fall 55 

Glen House ...... 37 

Glen to Crawford House, 

Cherry Mountain . . 35 

by Notch 40, 64 

Glen to North Conway . . 40, 64 

Goodrich Falls 70 

Gorham, N.H 14 

Gorham to Crawford House, 

Cherry Mountain Road 32 

by Glen 64 

Gorham to Franconia, Cherry 

Mountain Road ... 33 

Gorham to Glen 17, 31 

Great Gulf 112 

Hayes, Mt 28 

Hermit Lake 62 

Hitchcock's Flume .... 92 

Imp 36 

Island Pond 174 

Jacksox 68 

Jackson Falls Hotel .... 68 
Jefferson 33 

Kearsarge, Mt 187 

Kiarsarge House 161 

Kiarsarge, Mt 165 

Lafayette. Mt 131 

Lake of the Clouds .... 101 

Lancaster 191 

Lary's, View from 15 

Lead Mine Bridge 19 

Littleton 190 

Lower Ammonoosuc Falls . . 115 



Madison, Mt 29 

Manstield House 212 

Mountain .... 210 
Memphremagog, Lake . 173, 196 

Monroe, Mt 97 

Mooi-ilauke Mountain .... 203 
Moosilauke BasiJis .... 145 

Moriah, Mt 25 

Moss Glen Falls 218 

Mountain House 198 

Mount Pleasant 183 

Mount Peinigewasset .... 145 

Mountain Region 13 

Mount Washington Carriage 

Road 41 

tolls on 42 

Nancy's Brook and BRn>GE 74 

Newport, Vt 196 

North Conway 161 

to Crawford House . 71, 167 

to Glen 71, 167 

Notch, White Mountains, ap- 
proach to • .... 76 
Notch, Head of 83 

Oakes's Gulf 97 

Outlet Village 199 

Owl's Head Mountain . . .197 

Pavilion Hotel .... 154 

Pemigewasset House .... 206 

Pleasant, Mt 97 

Plymouth 205 

Pool 143 

Portland to Conway .... 182 

PortlajHl & OjidensburghR.R. 182 

Preliminary View 5 

Protile, The 127 

Protile House 120 

Protile Lake 131 

Protile Mountain 124 

Prospect Hill 205 

Railroad up Mt. Washing- 
ton 108 

Randolph Hill 20 

Red Hill 158 

Rumford Falls 170 

Saco Valley 71 

Sawyer's Rock 73 

Screw Anger Falls . . . .171 

Sebago Lake 182 

Senter House 156 

Silver Cascade 85 



232 



INDEX. 



Smuggler's Notch 218 

Snuw Arch 64 

Sparkling Cascsule and Sylvan 
(Tlade Cataract .... 86 

Squani Lake 156 

Stowe. Vt 211 

Summit House, Mt. Mansfield 214 

Surprise, Mt .26 

Summit of JVIt. Washington 47, 107 

Thompson's Falls .... 53 

Thousand Streams 63 

Tuckt-rman's Ravine . . . . Gl 
Twin Mt. House 116 

Umbagog Lake 171 

Up|>er .AmnKmoosuc Falls . . 106 
Upper BiU'tlett 73 



VlEAV OF BiCKLIN FALLS . 

Carter and Imp 
Mountain from 
Gorhani . . . 

Centre Harbor . 

Crystal Cascade 

Dixville Notch . 



22 



16 
157 

60 
177 



View of the Flume . . .141 
The Gate of the 

Notch . . . 13, 80 
Glen Ellis Fall . . 56 
The Profile . 128, 130 



Walkkr's Falls . . 
Washington. Mt. . . 41 
Washington, View from Mt 



105 
Washington, Night on ... 50 

Waterbury, Vt 211 

Watcrville 207 

^\^1 limbeck House 33 

Weirs 150 

White ^Mountain House . . . 115 
AVhite Mountain Range ... 95 
Wldle River Juiution . . .188 
Wiiinipesaukee Lake .... 146 

Willard. Mt 89 

Willcy House 81 

Willoughby Lake . . . 173, 193 

Wiiislovv House 187 

Wolfcborough 154 

Wolfeborough to North Con- 
way and Crawford House, 150, 

163 



. 135 
93, 108 
48, 



Pasgengers eii-ronte for tHie "West, m Iio travel Ity way cff 
THE GREAT PEIVIV.SYl^TAIVIA R, R. have the priviley e 
of viwitin gr an<1 Ato|i]»in«;- over, for any l ength of time in t?ie 
citiew «*f IVew Vork and Pliilad«>l7»liia, AVlTltOl T r>XT?^ \ 
C'HAROy!. Tick ets g-ood until «i!«ed, I5»ar?asre checked 
throns'h. Heavy Steel KailM. Nu^pension Joints, "l>o»i1»1e 
Trac^<. TSo'^d hallaMted with a I>ed of Isroken liin^-sf^ne 
twenty ijidies deep. Free from duat and the action of 
Froist, Iron or ston e hrulg'es, ]Vo Trestle-work. Trai?>r 
run l»y Telegraph. Perfect Wi§-nal Service, "Westinarhonse 
Air Rrakes. Crtrs lisrhted l»y g*a« and heated l»y st*»ain. 
Pullman T>ay a»td Sleepfsi^ Cars to diicasj^o, Cinc'i»n»tS 
Indianapolis, Fiouisvi lle, St. f^ouis, and intermediate points 
Without Change, and to Quincy, Kansas City, Sioux City , 
Omaha, Cleveland, ITIilwankeey St. Paul, ITIemphis. I^Iohile, 
IVew Orleans, and Oennison, Texas, "With hut One Chansre 
of Cars. Continuous Trains— no connections to miss, ]^'o 
Iffidnisrht Chansres. IVo Detention from Snow. Courteo?»s 
I3mploy<'es. Unu«ual faciiit!es for IH^eals at suUahle hours. 
U.'VKQITAfiEP in Structure, T:quipment, Speed, Comfort, 
an<l Security. Unrivalled in Reanty and variety of Scenery. 
Rates altvays as fiow^ as l»y any other Route. 



THROUGH TICKETS 

To all roiuts in the Wkstekn & Sol'THEUN Statks for Sale at 

203 & 205 WASHINGTON STREET, Boston, 

And Principal Ticket Offices in Kew England, 

CYHUS S. HALDEMAN, New England Agent. 



^^ y 



9? ^ 

W 2 



M Co 



o 
§ 




THE GLEN HOUSE 

is situated in a picturesque location in the valley of 
Peabody River. It is one of tiie largest of the New 
England summer resorts, accommodating five hundred 
guests, and every room is thoroughly furnished and 
lighted with gas. The drawing-room is elegantly fur- 
nished, and has two open fireplaces, where the wood 
fires crackle cheerfully when the days are cold. The 
band i)lays here in the evening for the benefit of those 
inclined to dance. The dining-room is one of the 
laroest and most cheerful halls in the mountains. The 
managers spare no pains to supply the table with all 
the luxuries of the season. Neatness and order and a 
series of excellent bills of fare are characteristics always 
aimed at by the proprietors. 

The carriage road up Mount Washington starts from 
the very door of the hotel. From base to summit, the 
whole mountain is visible to the beholder. The drives 
to the various places of interest in the vicinity, such 
as " Glen Ellis Falls " and " Crystal Cascade," are 
full of interest and beauty; while, to the pedestrian, 
no region abounds in jijreater attractions. 

The Glen can be reached via Portland, or from 
Canada over the Grand Trunk Railway, and via 
Conway over the Eastern and Portland and Ogdens- 
burgh, leavinor the cars at the Glen Station. 

Perfect exemption from the Autumnal Catarrh. 



W. & C, R. MILLIKEN, Proprietors. 



EASTERN & mm CENTRAL R.R. LINE. 



UNITED STATES MAIL ROUTE 



BETWEEN 



BOSTON AND THE EAST. 

Most Direct Route 



BETWEEN 



BOSTON AND THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 



Trains leave BOSTOIV at 8.30 a.m., 3.15 p.m., the morn- 
ing train connecting at I^ORrH COX WAY with 
PORTLAND AND OGDENSBURG R.R,, 

and running through to FABVAi\'S and CRA^W- 
FOItD\§ ivUhoat change of Cars, allowing ample 
time for dinner at North Conway. 

Trains leave i\ORTH CO.\ WAY at 7.50 a.m., 2.20 p.m., 
the afternoon train connecting, ivithout change of Cars, 
with P. & O. Train leaving FABYAIX'iS at 12.15 p.m., and 
CRAWFORD'iS at 12.30 p.m. 

At ROCHESTER, trains connect with W, & N, 
R, R. Trains from WORCESTER, NASHUA, &c., 
this route being some thirty miles shorter than any other. 

PULLMAN CARS ON THIS LINZ. 

Fare, according to distance, less than by any other line. 



GEO. BACHELDER, Supt. E. R. R. 

JOHN W. SANBORN, Supt. Conway Division. 



July, 1876. 



FOR THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 



Bflslflii, Cmicori Moiitreal, White Mmiiitaiiis, 

AND 

MOUNT WASHINGTON RAILROAD. 

1876. 



This only all-rail route to the summit of Mount Washington takes 
passengers from New London, Stonington, Providence, Fall River, 
Boston, ati'l all rities atid towns along the main New England Railway 
Lines, by through trains equipped with 

ELEGANT DRAWING ROOM OARS. 

Connecting, going and returning, with 

THE SOUND BOATS 

From New York and Philadelphia, New York and Western Railway 

Lines. 

The route is through the manufacturing cities and towns of the Merri- 
mack Valley, and skirting for thirty miles the shores of 

LAKE WINNIPESAUKEE. 

Passengers dine, without haste, at the famed Pemigewasset Housey 
Plymouth, an<l pass on through the 

CONNECTICUT AND AMMONOOSUC YALLEYS, 

Giving to observant travellers a succession of river, lake, and mountain 
views, unequalled in rugged outline and startling variety. 

This is the only route by which passengers by morning trains from 
Boston and the princii>al New England cities can reach the summit of 
Mount Washington the same evening. 

Parties purchasing through tickets can stop at all points of interest and 
proceed at their pleasure; or, leaving New York by any of the various 
routes, at evening may reach any of the Mountain Houses, or the summit 
of Mount Washington itself, earlv the next afternoon. 

Ask for thr.tugh tickets via Boston, Concord, Montreal, & White 
Mountains Railroad. See mayts and circulars for full informatinu. 

Throuf/h Tictefs can be obtained at the Offices of the Sound Boats at 
pitrs in Xetc York; at the Grand Central Depot, New York : and at A'o. 5 
State Street, Boston ; or at any of the Ticlcet Offices along the line. 



BAGGAGE CHECKED TH BOUGH. 



W. R BRAOXETT, J. A. DODGE, 

General Ticket Agent. Superintendent, Plymouth, N.H. 



WHAT'S TRUMPS? 



Til iiOil flMim OilES. 



»-=d 



C-D 



P=-i 



OC3 



P=H 



PATENTED -^"^ miiim'si. «k>^ LEE &SHEPARD 



Oct. 6,1874, 




Makers, 

No. 78 

HAWLEI 
ST., 

I.N.RICHARDSON X^ A P^ Boston, Mass, 



*-=i 



CX2 



A FEW OF THE ADTANTAGES POSSESSED BY THE 
** GLOBE PLAYING CARDS." 

The size and suit of every card are shown on the margin. The Number, 
King's Crown, Queen's Hair, and Jack's Cap, show the size. The Color 
shows the Suit; Spades being Black; Clubs, Green; Hearts, Red; Dia- 
monds, Yedotv. FoHow Color and you Follow Suit. 

The Cards can be lield overiajiping one another, so that only the num- 
bers and heads are S"en, and every card known. 

Play by the Number, Crown, &c. (bearing in mind that Color shows 
the Suit), if you would avail yourself of all the advantages of this ('ard. 

They possess great durability, wear twice as long as the old style, more 
ease in Slmffling. Dealing, and Playing, using Numerals or Figures, in four 
colors in the edges slmw the size and suit. Kapid playing without mistake. 
SOLD BY ALL JOHBERS 

A sample pack sent to any part of the United States or Canada, 
by mail, postpaid, on receipt of 7.5 cents. 

Dealers sufti)Hed on low terms Wholesale Price Lists furnished on ap- 
plication to GLOBE CARD COMPANY, 

LEE & SHEPAKD, Managers, 

No. 78 Hatvley Street^ Boston. 

D^^ AGENTS WANTED, TO WHOM LIBERAL TERMS WILL BE BIVEN. 



Central Vermont Line. 

T*ia Boston^ IjOwcU, und JVashua^ 

Concord^ and JVortiiern (N.H.) 

Mailroad, 

White, Franconia, & Mansfield 
Mountains. 

WILLOUGHBY AND MAGOG LAKES. 



Passenger Trains leave Concord on arrival of Trains from Boston, Worces- 
ter, Portsmouth, &c., for Wells River, Littleton, Whitefield, St. Johns- 
bury, Newport, and Magog Lake, Mansfield Mountain, Burlington, Rouse's 
Point, Montreal, Ogdensburg, the West, &c., at 10 35, Express (Drawing- 
room Car from Boston wltli this train), and 10.40 AM. ; also at 835 P.M., 
for White Kiver Junction, Montpelier, Mansfield Mountain, Rouse's Point, 
Montreal, Ogdr-nsburg, and the West, reaching Montreal and Ogdensburg 
the next morning. 

Trains leave White River Junction, at 1.50* A.M., 12.20 and 6 20 p.m., 
or on arrival of trains from the Central Vermont, Passumpsic, and White 
Mountains Roads, with passengers leaving Magog Lake and the Mansfield, 
White, and Franconia Mountains the same morning, for Boston, Portsmouth, 
Lawrence, Lowell, Worcester, Providence, Newport, New York. &c. 

Trains each way stop at White River Junction, for passengers to dine. 

VISITORS TO THE WHITE AND MANSFIELD MOUNTAINS AND 

FRANOONIA «OrCH 
from Boston, Newport, New York, and the South, via Portsmouth, Lawrence, 
Lowell, Nashua, Worcester, Norwich, Providence, Concord, Northern, Pas- 
sumpic. and White Mountains Railroads to Littleton (stage elevpn miles to 
Profile House), Twin Mountain House, which is the nearest point reached 
by cars to the White Mountain Notch and Railway to summit of Mt. Wash- 
ington, will find this a pleasant route, through the Valley of the Merrimack 
and Connecticut Rivers, by Dartmouth College, Norwich University, the Sul- 
phur Springs of Newbury, Vt., — and as cheap as any other route. 

Newport ^ration, on the Passumpsic River Railroad, is at the bead of Msigog 
Lake. Willoughby Lake is five miles from West Burke Station, on the same 
road. Waterbury Station, on the Central Vermont Road, is ten miles from 
Mount Mansfield House. 

* This train is run through to Boston on Sunday. 



THE MOUNTAIN REGIONS OF VERMONT. 

The mountain regions of Vermont present attractions to tlie seeker after 
pleasure unsurpassed by any spot in New England. The Green Mountains 
are justly celebrated, and the view from Mount Mansfield (the highest peak) 
is most splendid. This mountain is five thousand feet high, and from it may 
be obtained a magnificent view of the whole range of the Green Mountains, 
also the Valley, Lake Champlain, with its numerous islands and busy steam- 
ers. Burlington, Ticonderoga, and Platt.«burgh are directly before the eye, 
and the Adirondack Mountains, in New York, in the distance. Montreal, 
seventy miles, and the White Mountains, one hundred miles distant, can be 
seen with the naked eye. Fifty villages and every county in the State are 
visible from the summit. There is an excellent Hotel upon the summit and 
at the foot of the mountain ; that Splendid Hotel, the " Mansfield House," 
offers attractions to make ones stay agreeable, and all who become the 
guests of its hospitable proprietors can exclaim, with truth, " I am at 
home! " 

Passengers make quick connection at White River Junction, and proceed 
to Waterbury, on the Central Vermont Railroad, from which point they take 
passage to Stowe by stage. The ride to Stowe (10 miles) is over a beautiful 
road, where is found the new Hotel, the " Mansfield House," with all the 
modern improvements ; and the village itself cannot be surpassed for a quiefc 
summer residence. 



The only Line to the West equipped throughout with 

Pullman's Palace Drawing-Eoom and Sleeping 

Cars. 

Only one Change of Cars between Boston & Chicago. 

P^TIMT Am JlM© STl^M lEAKlSe 
Stone and Iron Bridrjes and Steel Halls. 

Refreshment Saloonsi unsurpassed by any other route. 

THROUGH TICKETS, TIME-TABLES, 

And full information may be obtained at 

General Office, No. 322 Washington Street, Boston, Mass. 

een. Supt. Traffic. 



FALL RIVER LINE, 

•VXA. I^^LL RIVER JLNJD NEAVI'ORT. 



TO JVEJW irORK^ 

Via OLD COLONY KAILWAY. Care leare the Statjtm of the 
Old Colony Railway, Corner of Baieeland and South Streets, 
Boston (DAILY), at 4.30 P.M. by the Accomniodation Tmhi, at 
5.30 P.M. by the Steamboat Express Train {via Fall River), for the world 
renowned Steamer.* PROVIDENCE and BRISTOL. 

TICKETS for this line Steamers, Berths, and State Rooms obtained at 
No. 3 OLD STATE HOUSE, Comer "Washington and State 
Streets, Boston, and at the Old Colony Bailway Station, cor- 
ner of ILneeland and South Streets. 

iS^^ Hall's Brass, String, and Reed Band, engaged for the Season. 

Passengers are landed in the immediate yicinity of the New Jersey, Pavonia, 
and Desbrosf<es-Street Ferries (California and European Steamers). 

THROUGH TICKETS to PhUadelphia, Wilmington, Bal- 
timore, Washington, "West, South, South-West, California, 

&c. B!i<rffase checked and trHnsferred in New York. 

TO SHIPPEiXS OF FREIGHT. — This line, with its well-known 
Depot accommodations in Boston, and large Piers in Fall River, Newport, and 
New York, is supplied with facilities for Freight and Passenger Business 
which cannot be surpassed. Freight forwarded with despatch. 

New York Express Freight Trains leave Boston at 1 30 p.m. 
Goods arrive in New York next morning about 6 a.m. Freight leaving New 
York at 5 15 P.M. reaches Boston on the following day at 9. 45 AM. 

J. R. KENDRICK, Supt. O. C. B. R. 

H. H. MANGAM, General Freight Agent, 

Pier 30, North River, New Yorlc. 

It. H. PALMER, Freight and Passenger Ag't., 

No. 3, Old State House, Boston, 

EASTMAN'S 

EASTERN COAST GUIDE, 

With Map of the Eastern Coast, and of the Railroads and Townships of 
New England; also a Map of Cape Cod Railroad. 

This book is very nseful to Travellers and Tourists, and interesting to the 
general reader; being a complete GUIDE BOOK to Newport, Nan- 
tucket, Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod, South Shore, East- 
ern Railroad and Coast, Hampton, Rye, Old Orchard, and 
other Beaches, Mount Desert, and further East. 

This is a companion book to Eastman^s " White Mountain Guide.^^ 

l6mo. Flexible cloth. Price 81.50. Sent free by mail on receipt of price. 

The Commonwealth, Boston, says: "The Eastmans of Concord, N.H., 
did good service with their ' White Mountain Guide.' They now have pre- 
pared an ' Eastern Coast Guide,' which is a hand-book of the coast from New- 
port to Mount Desert, — very full, very accurate, and just the thing for the 
leason." 

The Salem Regater says : " Eastmau^e Guide Books are always good." 

EDSON C. EASTMAN, Publisher, 

CoiJdORD, N.H. 



Now Heady: 

f h© Oedogj of lew laapsMi:©. 

A KEPORT, 

Comprising the Results of Explorations ordered by the Legislature. 
By C. H. Hitchcock, State Geologist, and J. H. Huntington, 
Principal Assistant. 

To be completed in 2 Vols, and Atlas. 

VOL. I. NOW KEADY. 
Part I. — Physical Geography. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

Chapter I. History of Geological Surveys in New Hampshire ; II. His- 
tory of the present Geological Survey; III. History of the Survey Con- 
tinued ; IV. History of Explorations among the White Mountains ; V. Cli- 
matology of New Hampshire; VI. The Use of the Magnetic Needle in 
Survoing; VII. Topography; VIII. Tooography of Coos County; TX. 
Topographical Maps of the State ; X. Altitudes ; XI. Kiv^r System of New 
Hampshire; XII. The Distribution of Insects in New Ilamp hii-e ; XIII. 
The Distribution of Plants in New Ilanipshlrt- ; XIV. Natural History of the 
Diatomaceoe ; XV. Ph\sical History of New Hampshire ; XVI. The Relations 
of Geology to Agriculture; XVII. Remarks upon the Distribution of Ani- 
mals and Plants; XVIII. Scenographical Geology j XIX. Scenery of Coos 
County. With Appendix and Index. 

Fully illustrated, with over ISO Engravings, Maps, and Charts, many 
of them printed by the new Heliotype Process direct from the Photog- 
rapher. 

Large imperial, pp. xi , 667, half goat, cloth sides. Price $10.00. Will 
be sent by express on receipt of price. 

VOLUME II. 
Will probably be in two parts ; and will contain full descriptions of all the 
Rocks, Fossils, and Minerals, and investigations into the Microscopic Structure 
of Rocks. These will be full, and the first important publication on this 
subject in this country. 

There will be not less than twelve large plates in the Atlas, embracing a 
large Geological Map, specially prepared for the Report, on a scale of two a- d 
a half miles to the inch ; map eight miles to the inch, showing contour line 
for every five hundred feet ; an elegant map of the White Mountains, show- 
ing pvery hill and valley as it would appear from a balloon. Reproduction 
of Holland's and Carrigain's Maps ; profile sketches of the White Mountains 
from several points of view ; detailed map of Gold Field. 

ED80N C. EASTMAN, Publisher, 

Concord f JV.JT. 




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